pv magazine
Summary
German energy provider Enercity is constructing a 50 MW power-to-heat plant as part of its coal phase-out strategy and efforts to decarbonize district heating production. The project is also intended to help relieve pressure on electricity grids by absorbing surplus renewable power.
At the historic Herrenhausen power plant, located in Herrenhausen, a district in the northwest of Hanover, Lower Saxony, Enercity has operated a 20 MW thermal electrode boiler since 2020. The capacity of this unit is set to increase to 26 MW. Once completed, the new 50 MW facility will significantly increase the utility’s power-to-heat capacity.
The boilers can supply heat directly to Hanover’s district heating network or charge existing thermal storage systems. Enercity said the flexibility provided by the technology is “particularly important when large amounts of renewable energy are available in the grid or when heat demand is very high, for example on particularly cold winter days.”
The systems also contribute to security of supply in the district heating network, as they can be brought online at short notice during periods of high demand. “Power-to-heat is not designed for continuous operation, but is instead used specifically in situations where the energy system requires support,” Enercity said.
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