“Cogeneration Power Plant of the Month”: Energy Station of Wernigerode’s Municipal Utility with TCG 2020 V12 Gas Engines
Mannheim, November 25, 2021
Wernigerode’s municipal utility has commissioned its new energy station, whose core comprises two natural gas-fired SES-HPC 1000 N cogeneration power plants of SES Energiesysteme GmbH, each of which is equipped with a powerful MWM TCG 2020 V12 gas engine. The electrical output amounts to 999 kW per unit, and the thermal output to 1,230 kW per unit. The modern combined heat and power (CHP) plant supplies buildings in the city as well as the Harzklinikum Dorothea Christiane Erxleben hospital with climate-friendly energy. A special feature of the plant is the glass window through which passers-by can view the energy technology from the busy Waldhof street and the artistic design of the exterior facade. “Energie & Management” magazine has designated the highly efficient cogeneration power plant with MWM gas engines as “Cogeneration Power Plant of the Mont” of November 2021.
Energy Stations Ensures Local Hospital’s Energy Supply
The plant was planned by EEB ENERKO Energiewirtschaftliche Beratung GmbH. Eventually, the new energy station with its two MWM TCG 2020 V12 engines will deliver 8 MW of heat and 2 MW of electricity with a total efficiency of 92.5 per cent. The installed boilers deliver 3 MW to buffer peak loads. The installed heat storage units have a capacity of 100,000 l of hot water each. Henceforth, the new energy station is to produce up to 11 million kWh of power and about 13.5 million kWh of heat a year. The first cogeneration power plant of the energy station went live on May 31, 2021, and the second one is to be commissioned in June 2022. The new combined heat and power plant supplies buildings in the city with climate-friendly district heating, e.g. schools, the historical city hall, gymnasiums, the city archive, the Harz museum, and the steam locomotive workshop of the Harz narrow-gauge railway. Another large consumer of the energy generated by the energy station is the Harz hospital in Wernigerode, whose heat demand has gone up due to the newly built pediatric clinic.
With its “transparent” cogeneration power plant, Wernigerode’s municipal utility highlights its principle of transparent municipal supply. From the outset, the population was involved and regularly informed about milestones and the progress of the building work. It was even possible to vote on the design of the exterior facade.
Climate-Friendly On-Site Heat and Power Production with Cogeneration
Thanks to the new energy station, there is no need for individual heat systems, as the heat is now generated directly on site—a climate-friendly approach. In the long run, the local power generation also reduces the need for upgrading the power transmission grid.
Compared to separate generation of electrical energy and heat, cogeneration and trigeneration plants make much better use of primary energy. MWM cogeneration power plants thus enable economically and ecologically efficient energy generation. The on-site plant directly transforms the utilized primary energy into heat and electrical energy. The resulting exhaust heat can be reused immediately and is not lost. Viable fuels include natural gas, biogas, mine gas, and gases containing hydrogen. The power generated by the cogeneration power plants can be consumed on site or be fed into the public grid for a feed-in tariff.
Further information:
- MWM Gas Engines and Power Gensets
- MWM Cogeneration Power Plants
- MWM TCG 2020 V12 Gas Engine
- Energie & Management: “Blockheizkraftwerk hinter Glas” (in German, PDF)
- MWM press release: “Cogeneration Power Plant of the Month” of March: Dairy Business Makes Use of Trigeneration with Cogeneration Power Plant and MWM Gas Engine for Climate-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Production of Dairy Products
- MWM press release: MWM Flex Cogeneration Power Plant for Biogas Plant in Lower Saxony Designated “Cogeneration Power Plant of the Month” of January
- MWM press release: Modernized MWM Cogeneration Power Plants for Ecological Botanical Garden of University of Bayreuth Designated as “Cogeneration Power Plant of the Month” of February
