Profound changes in the energy industry
Thomas Bahde
The energy industry is facing profound changes. The energy transition is intended to mark a turning point away from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas in order to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and meet climate targets. At the same time, the demand for energy is increasing due to digitalisation and the expansion of electric mobility. Key challenges include expanding renewable energies such as wind and solar power, modernising grid infrastructure and ensuring a stable energy supply. New technologies such as hydrogen, energy storage solutions and smart grids will play a key role in making the energy supply of the future climate-neutral and efficient.
Energy supply situation in Germany and energy policy framework
Hans-Wilhelm Schiffer
The acute supply crisis triggered by Russia has been overcome. Energy consumption in Germany has fallen significantly. Russia no longer plays a significant role as an energy commodity supplier for Germany. Import prices for natural gas as well as crude oil and hard coal have fallen again compared to the highs reached at the end of August 2022. Crude oil prices have also fallen. However, import prices for natural gas and hard coal are still twice as high as in the last decade. Consumers are feeling this effect in their heating and electricity bills. Medium-sized companies and industry also continue to be heavily burdened. In addition, the security and affordability of the power supply is in question. In recent years, and not just since 2021, energy policy has reacted inconsistently to the existing challenges. An adjustment of course is required so that energy supply can fulfill its role as one of the central drivers of economic development.
Questions and answers on the training needs of the industry
Jens Hackforth
In the course of the energy transition, the energy industry in Germany has made great efforts in recent years to break new ground in heat and electricity generation. In addition to political, strategic and financial aspects, people are at the centre of these efforts. After all, despite computer support, IT, OT or AI, well-trained people are the basis of success for many companies. This is reason enough to examine whether the training and further education programmes for the energy industry are up to date and whether they provide people with the qualifications they need to meet the industry’s new requirements. In this context, the lack of skilled workers is also worth mentioning.
The importance of power plants and large-scale consumers for system stability
Moritz Mittelstaedt, Janek Massmann and Tobias Hennig
The integration of the planned offshore wind energy plants and the overall accelerated expansion of renewable energy generation plants targeted by the German government, coupled with a simultaneous sharp increase in consumption, will foreseeably result in very high-power transits in the German transmission grid. At the same time, with the shutdown of the last coal-fired power plants by 2030, only a few large synchronous machines will be able to support the system. The transmission system operators (TSOs) are strengthening the grid with their own systems, such as STATCOM systems with short-term storage or rotating phase-shifting systems with additional flywheels. However, these measures alone will not be enough to maintain stability at today’s level. The article provides an overview of the system stability situation in terms of frequency stability, the necessary measures and their consequences and opportunities for generation plants and large consumers.
Design of an industrial steam turbine in the context of a changing energy market
Stephan Schwab and Mario Küppers
Requirements for industrial steam turbines are constantly changing in the course of the changing energy market. In addition, the operational process prioritizes an operating mode of turbomachinery that is adapted to these requirements, which can result in an operating mode that deviates significantly from the original design over the years. The article presents the engineering and conversion work on an industrial steam turbine. The feasibility of activating a tapping at a given pressure level is examined. In addition, the blading of the low-pressure section of the steam turbine will be investigated. The last two rows of blades in the low-pressure section were removed some time ago in order to be able to provide higher pressures for the process. The process can be transferred to most steam turbines.
Electrolysis in practice – opportunities and risks
Alexander Detke
The demand for green hydrogen is increasing rapidly as part of the energy transition. According to the IEA, the annual global demand for hydrogen will double to around 210 million tons by 2030 and rise to 300 to 600 million tons by 2050. According to calculations by the Wuppertal Institute, the cheapest method of meeting this demand would be to produce ‘green’ hydrogen on site using electrolysis. Factors for hydrogen plant operators and project planners to calculate the hydrogen production costs, the so-called LCOH (Levelized Cost of Hydrogen) are presented. Opportunities and success factors for getting started with electrolysis projects. are presented.
Reducing CO2 emissions into the environment through the effective use of high-temperature heat storage
Nico Bronsert
The concept of CO2-free process heat fits perfectly with the business model of customers in the organic food industry, which is based on sustainability and environmental awareness. But high-temperature thermal storage (HTS), which uses steel as the storage medium, is also becoming increasingly attractive to companies in other sectors that do not produce in environmentally sensitive industries. High and volatile energy costs and the rising price of CO2 are the main drivers. With its steel TES, LUMENION has demonstrated that peak wind and solar energy can be cost-effectively stored and later used on an industrial scale when needed. These CO2-free storage systems enable industry to move towards decarbonisation and the cost-effective use of renewable energy for process heat.
Replacement of the internal fittings in the natural draft cooling tower of the Rostock power plant
Torsten Mager and Helena Eisenkrein
Due to the extensive damage to the internal components of the natural draught cooling tower of the Rostock power plant, it was no longer possible to gradually renovate the precast concrete parts. Following a damage event, planning and preparation began for the replacement of all components with the exception of the water channel and the riser shafts. Thanks to a tight schedule and staggered simultaneous work by the partner companies, the construction period of almost six months could be adhered to. The cooling tower is once again available to the power plant without restrictions and the power plant is once again subject to the load requirements of the grid operator.
Multifuel application for existing power plants to cover the energy supply gap
Lutz Brandau, Anojan Santhirasegaran and Benedikt Tressner
The term fuel switch refers to the change from climate-damaging coal to green energy or fuels. The technical feasibility with a high degree of flexibility in the actually available fuel type is often a challenge. In principle, it is almost always possible to convert an old plant. Measures for maintaining the steam parameters and the almost original boiler behaviour are shown based on a modern coal-fired boiler. The necessary conversion measures for a fuel-open conversion are also presented. The article provides an insight into the current issues faced by operators when converting existing plants to alternative fuels with different potential for defossilisation, as well as possible solutions for implementation.
Mitigation of particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions in biomass combined heat and power plants
Christian Gollmer, Theresa Siegmund and Martin Kaltschmitt
In addition to the use of secondary or flue gas technologies, primary or fuel-side measures during the combustion of biogenic solid fuels offer the potential to efficiently reduce particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. For solid fuel additivation, minerals are introduced into the furnace with the fuel. This mineral then reacts with problematic ash and PM-forming (alkali) elements present in the biomass, binding them into the grate/bottom ash in the form of temperature-stable components. In addition to reducing PM and CO emissions, this can also have a (positive) influence on the slagging tendency, among other things. For a 33 kWth woodchip boiler, significant reduction effects were observed. On a larger scale, the successful technical feasibility was confirmed by initial measurements on an 18 MWth biomass CHP plant.
New universal tool for product and process optimisation
Udo Hellwig
IT experts from a Berlin engineering firm have developed software for the high-precision design of new industrial boilers and other energy technology systems, as well as for the design optimization of existing ones. In future, this should also enable SMEs in other sectors to implement complex tasks with a strong economic impact drastically more efficiently.
Editorial
Thomas Bahde
Chair vgbe TC Industrial and Cogeneration Plants
BEW Berliner Energie und Wärme AG
Head of Technical Procurement
Profound changes in the energy industry
Dear readers of the vgbe energy journal,
The energy industry is facing profound changes. The energy transition is intended to mark a turning point away from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas in order to drastically reduce CO2 emissions and meet climate targets. At the same time, the demand for energy is increasing due to digitalisation and the expansion of electric mobility. Key challenges include expanding renewable energies such as wind and solar power, modernising grid infrastructure and ensuring a stable energy supply. New technologies such as hydrogen, energy storage solutions and smart grids will play a key role in making the energy supply of the future climate-neutral and efficient.
However, we need to adapt to new conditions not only in the field of technology, but also, and especially, in the field of training. The shift from fossil fuels such as coal and gas to renewables such as wind, geothermal, solar and biomass is fundamentally changing the skills needed in the industry. It is no longer enough to have traditional technical skills; new skills are required in areas such as digitisation, automation and, above all, the handling and integration of renewable technologies are in demand.
In order to implement the heating transition as part of the energy transition, all heating suppliers are facing new challenges. The transition away from fossil primary energy sources such as gas, oil (heating oil) and coal for supply of heat to households and municipalities raises the question of how?
Heat pumps are one way of continuing to supply existing district heating networks with heat. A number of large units ( >20 MWth) are currently being planned, built and put into operation. Rivers and ambient air are used as heat sources. It should be noted that electrical energy is required to operate these pumps. The current COP of these pumps is around 2 or even 3 at best. What does this mean? To generate 20 MWth, for example, between 7 and 10 MWel are required.
Classic municipal utilities that have covered their heating needs with CHP plants are now going from being electricity producers to electricity consumers. In other words, our current electricity demand of 517 TWh per year [2023, statista2024] will continue to increase with the use of heat pumps.
At this point, the question arises as to how the peak heating demand of a city like Berlin (approx. 3000 MWth) can be covered solely by the installation of heat pumps. And this output is only that which the local energy supplier currently provides. Added to this are the private and industrial fireplaces.
Another option is deep geothermal energy. The problem is that not every municipal heating supplier is located on geologically suitable ground. The use of thermal water in a closed circuit seems harmless at first. However, since according to the laws of physics, every actio also causes a reactio, it should be very carefully examined how the heat extraction in deep layers of the earth affects the earth.
Similarly, the issues of hydrogen and its production and distribution will continue to be accompanied by many engineering questions.
There is still a lot to be done and considered before we are CO2 neutral. Let’s tackle it together.