Construction Starts on Giant Power-to-Heat Plant in Northern Germany

Carbon-neutral energy from surplus wind energy

In September construction began on one of the biggest power-to-heat plants in Germany. Once complete, the system in the town of Wedel will become the second power-to-heat plant in the Hamburg metropolitan area. 

The system will use power generated from wind to deliver carbon-free energy to the local district heating network. This will be done whenever more wind power is generated than can be transported out of the region by the transmission network. This not only benefits the power grid but also reduces the need to burn coal at the local CHP plant. The investment costs are being covered by the regional grid operator 50Hertz.

Power-to-heat integral part of energy transition

Hamburg Senator for the Environment  Jens Kerstan believes that the system could reduce 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually as well as reduce curtailments in wind power generation. Germany Trade & Invest energy efficiency expert Robert Compton notes that this is part of a long-term transition. "We expect district heating to grow in importance, especially in more densely-populated areas where the investment costs can be spread. State-of-the-art networks that run more efficiently at lower temperatures, that include heat storage capacities, and that can be fed with waste heat and from power-to-heat plants will increasingly become an integral part of decarbonizing the building sector in Germany".

For details see the full press release of the Hamburg business region.