Power-to-heat plant enables negative control power
Alpiq commissions its first power-to-heat plant - and thus offers negative balancing power for the first time. This is intended to open up new business opportunities on the energy markets in connection with volatile renewable energies.
(Photo: Alpiq)
The more fluctuating solar and wind energy is fed into the grid, the higher the probability that more electricity will be generated than consumed at any given time. To make use of this surplus, storage facilities are an option - or else plants that offer negative balancing power. The energy company Alpiq has now been commissioned for the first time in Niedergösgen: The power-to-heat (P2H) plant uses the surplus electricity to produce process steam in two electrode boilers, each with an electrical output of 11 MW.
Contribute to grid stability
Alpiq offers the flexible negative power of the power-to-heat plant on the balancing energy market. The operators of the transmission grid use the power to balance out the differences between the electricity generated and consumed, thus ensuring grid stability. This offers new business opportunities for the energy group.
The plant is located on the site of the Gösgen hydropower plant. The location is optimal with regard to flexible use of the P2H plant because of the proximity of the steam line between the Gösgen nuclear power plant and the Model AG paper mill, as well as the proximity to the hydropower plant and electricity grid infrastructure.
In addition to marketing in the balancing energy market, there is the possibility of cooperation with the Model AG paper mill. The paper mill already uses process steam from the nuclear power plant - but so far the supply has been interrupted during the annual overhaul of the NPP. The new plant can now compensate for this. It feeds the process steam directly into the existing heating steam line.
