MWM on the E-world Topic “Smart City & Climate Solutions”: Step by Step into a More Sustainable Future with Flexible, Needs-Oriented Energy Generation
Mannheim, December 16, 2019
The advancing urbanization is drawing the energy industry’s attention to the need for sustainable smart city concepts to protect the climate. Innovative solutions and sustainable concepts for the eco-friendly, efficient energy supply of cities are presented at the E-world energy & water 2020, Europe’s largest event in the energy industry.
>One of the greatest challenges associated with the transformation of cities is to secure the continuous supply of energy. As the energy market in Germany continues to change, smart city concepts and the use of renewable energies for the implementation of intelligent transport systems are growing in importance.
E-world Congress 2019 (Photographer: Udo Geisler)
Increased Yield Potential and Energy Security through Transition from Base Load to Flex Operation
Needs-oriented power generation from controllable plants with flexible operation is the key to intelligent energy supply and a central element of the power system of the future. To enable the energy production running in flex mode to make better use of its capabilities to balance the fluctuating production from wind and solar energy, thereby upgrading the energy supply, plant operators need planning security and sufficient income from the power market. This is also evident from the latest findings of the Coal Commission. According to the German Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG) that was introduced in 2017 to promote combined heat and power generation, natural gas-fired, distributed cogeneration power plants are under the obligation to engage in direct marketing. For this purpose, they need to implement a needs-oriented, variable operating mode. From the economic perspective, the improved subsidization and more flexible layouts of power plants under the KWKG have made a natural gas-fired cogeneration power plant with power feed-in much more attractive for the operators.
Investing in a cogeneration power plant also pays for biogas and biomethane plant operators. Since the amendment of the German Renewable Energies Act (EEG) in 2012, biogas plant operators receive financial support in the form of the flexibility bonus. The amendment has also made it possible to market power from biogas-fired cogeneration power plants directly. By flexibilizing the plants, biogas can be buffered in gas storage facilities. Thus, the gas does not need to be converted into power around the clock, but can be sent to the gas engines from the storage whenever necessary. By means of the flexibilization of plants, lost production hours can be made up for without any additional overhead in order to consistently reach and ensure full capacity utilization throughout the year.
Flexible Power Generation with MWM
MWM gas engines can be adapted to the individual challenges associated with customers’ energy concepts and can be used with various gas types and grades, such as natural gas, shale gas, mine gas, biogas, landfill gas, sewage gas, and syngas. The units are designed for maximum electrical and thermal efficiency, low operating and service costs, and high reliability and availability. Thus, they reach efficiency levels of more than 90 percent (depending on the application scenario).
A practical example: What a TCG 3016 Can Do in an Hour
The MWM gas engines of the TCG 3016 series have been developed from scratch for perfect alignment with the challenges of Industry 4.0 and the changed framework conditions of a dynamic market environment in the age of global value chains. The gas engines deliver outstanding efficiency, reliability, flexibility, and eco-compatibility in the output range from 400 kWel to 1,000 kWel. The innovative drive of the new engines is evident from the greatly reduced fuel costs, extremely low lubricant consumption, and the digitized power plant control TPEM.
Further information:
- MWM press release: Under the Banner of Flexibilization and Digitization: MWM Presents Innovative Gas Engines at the E-world 2019
- MWM press release: Transition from Base Load to Flex Operation
- Ahe Biogas Plant: Use the Flexibility Bonus – Flexible Biogas Future with MWM
- MWM Gas Engines and Power Gensets
- MWM CHP Plants and Cogeneration Power Plants
