OPET CHP/ DH Cluster: Workpackage 2: Micro and Small Scale CHP

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1 OPET CHP/ DH Cluster: Workpackage 2: Micro and Small Scale CHP Best Practice Description Germany 1: Virtual Power Plant

2 Organisation: Berliner Energieagentur Address: Rudolfstraße 9, D Berlin Tel.: Fax: Web: The project "OPET CHP/DH Cluster" has obtained financial support from the European Commission (Directorate-General for Energy and Transport) under the contract no. NNE5/2002/52 for Community Activities in the Field of the specific programme for RTD and demonstration on "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development - Part B: Energy programme" The responsibility for the content on this publication lies solely with the authors. The content does not necessarily represent the opinion of the European Community and the Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of data appearing herein.

3 1. Project overview Virtual Power Plant This project is not a German project, it is a European project with a strong German involvement. The Virtual Fuel Cell Power Plant is a series of decentralised residential micro-chps using fuel cell technology, installed in multi-family- houses, small enterprises, public facilities etc., for individual heating, cooling and electricity production. Centrally controlled and grid-connected, these elements of the virtual power plant contribute to meet peaking energy demand in the public electricity grid and act as a virtual power plant. The aim of the project is to install and demonstrate a Virtual Fuel Cell Power Plant as an application of the innovative fuel cell technology, i.e. to transform laboratory technology into a everyday technology. Simultaneously this application is a fast door-opener for a broad market entrance of fuel cells with its ecological and economical benefits. Severe testing in different environments including requirements from techniques, users, norms and utilities is necessary. The 40-months project which is cofunded by the European Commission under the 5th R&D Framework Programme will entail the following work packages: objective is to network the systems and control them centrally. As a virtual power station, the installations are to contribute to decentralising electricity supply and thereby generate power and heat directly at the point of consumption without loss of output. The project is also testing whether the centrally managed fuel-cell heating appliances, which are connected to national grids, can in future contribute to optimising grid power generation. In addition, the project is an important milestone in driving fuel-cell heating appliances a substantial step forward on the path to market maturity. Demanding tests under practical conditions in various environments should prove how this technology will meet the relevant technical standards and customer demands with regard to reliability, profitability and reduction of CO2 emissions. Figure 1 The Virtual Power Plant WP1: Environment analysis (Restricted access for project members) WP2: Basic & detail engineering WP3: Procurement WP4: Production of Test Units WP5: Preparation of Field Test WP6: Field Demonstration Test WP7: Dissemination Strategy The development project is about testing fuel-cell heating appliances in decentral home-energy supply. The

4 2. Participants on the Virtual Power Plant The project will connect 31 decentralised residential fuel cell systems, which have been installed in houses and small commercial premises in Germany, Holland, Spain and Portugal, to a joint power plant to allow balancing the individual power needs. Apart from Vaillant, which has jointly developed the PEM fuel cell units (4.6kW electricity, up to 11kW heat) with Plug Power, other partners in this project include utility companies Ruhrgas, E.ON, EWE (as example shown in chapter 3.), EAM Energieplus (all Germany), Gasunie (Holland) and research organisations Cogen Europe (Belgium), University of Lissabon (Portugal), University of Duisburg (Germany), DLR (Spain/Germany) and Sistems de Calor (Spain). The total budget of the virtual power plant programme is about 8.6 million Euros, of which 30% are being paid by the European Union. Vaillant and Plug Power aim to run the project till March The field test project, which is seen as one of the European Union's most important benchmark projects for fuelcell technology, is expected to end in March The European Commission is contributing more than Euro 3 million to the total costs of Euro 8.6 million. The appliances, each of which have an output of about 4.6 kw of electrical energy and generates up to 11 kw of heat, have been installed in flat blocks, small businesses and public facilities. In Germany, installations are operating in, among other places, Remscheid, Oldenburg, Cuxhaven, Baunatal near Kassel, and Hilden near Düsseldorf. In the Netherlands, the test locations include Groningen, Amersfoort and The Hague. Further systems follow in Almería, Spain, and in Lisbon, Portugal. 3. The Company EWE AG The EWE AG (head quarter in Oldenburg) is a multi-service-company for electricity, heat, environmental technologies and telecommunication in the Ems Weser - Elbe region, in the Land Brandenburg and the island of Rügen. 21% of all electricity marketed by the EWE AG is wind power. Beyond the German market, EWE is also active in Poland. Owner of the EWE AG are the administrative districts between Ems, Weser and Elbe (rivers in the north of Germany) combined in the Weser- Ems Energiebeteiligungen GmbH (WEE) and the Energieverband Elbe- Weser Beteiligungsholding GmbH (EEW). 3.1 EWE AG and Fuel Cell EWE has started the fuel cell project in 1998, with participation in a world-wide field test of a 1 kw- SOFC, implemented by the Swiss company Sulzer Hexis. As a result of the positive achievements during the first project, EWE has decided to be part in a pilot project with the companies Sulzer Hexis and Vaillant. At the moment 33 Fuel Cells HXS 1000 Premiere from Sulzer Hexis are installed. As participant by the Vaillant project (co financed by the EU) virtual power plant, EWE has installed two Vaillant Fuel Cells. These Fuel Cells are developed especially for apartment buildings and cover the better part of the electricity and heat demand in the designated building.

5 Figure 2 Vaillant Fuel Cells in Oldenburg and Brake (Source EWE AG) Points of use: Apartment buildings and small trade buildings Figure 3 Vaillant Fuel Cell (BZH) At the end of the year 2003, EWE has installed 5 more Vaillant Fuel Cells. 4. Technical Data Vaillant Fuel Cell BZH (BZH = Fuel Cell space heater) The Vaillant Fuel Cell is developed by Vaillant and the American company Plug Power. The system concept is modular, i.e. the fuel cell covers with 10 kw th the base load on heat and separate peak boiler secured the actual heat demand. 4,6 kw el performance is enough to cover the base load on electricity of a apartment building with 8-12 units. PEM = Proton Exchange Membrane Electrical performance: 1-4,6 kw el Thermal performance: 1,57-7 kw th plus approx kw th Electrical efficiency: > 35 % Overall efficiency: >80 % Fuel: natural gas Supply/return- temperature max.: 70/55 C

6 5. Reference Vaillant Zukunft Brennstoffzelle