The Heat Plant of the Future – a district heating system based on RES

The Heat Plant of the Future – a district heating system based on RES

The National Centre for Research and Development in June 2021 announced a call for proposals in the competition Heat Plant of the Future, i.e. a district heating system with RES. The aim of the competition was to develop a concept for a district heating plant based on a minimum of 80% renewable energy sources. The stakes were high: PLN 500,000 gross each for up to 10 companies to be admitted to the first stage of the competition, and PLN 32,000,000 gross for the construction of a Technology Demonstrator by the winner of the first stage.

Project progress and results

In accordance with the competition assumptions, the designed Technology Demonstrator was required to supply energy of which at least 80% came from renewable energy sources (RES) to premises with a minimum total area of 15,000 m², as well as domestic hot water to premises with a minimum total area of 15,000 m², while remaining within the assumed budget of PLN 32 million. In addition, upon completion of the first stage, the contractor was required to prepare the documentation in such a way that, within a maximum of 4 months from signing the contract for the second stage, it would be possible to obtain a building permit and to commission the Demonstrator within 18 months from the signing of the contract. A total of 9 companies and project consortia expressed their interest in participating in the competition. In June 2021, the documentation required by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) was submitted. Its preparation involved employees of SEC Region, the company PlanEnergi and SEC. The New Technologies Incubator was responsible for preparing the final competition application. In August 2021, the participants admitted to the first stage of the competition were selected. Thanks to the hard work of the entire team, the Heat Plant of the Future project in Choszczno was included among the successful candidates. From that moment, the contractors had 6 months to develop a concept that would meet the competition requirements. The bar was set high. In addition to achieving an 80% share of RES in energy production and supplying energy and domestic hot water to premises of the specified minimum area, it was also necessary to carry out the entire formal and legal process related to permits and documentation required to obtain a building permit. Furthermore, the entire concept had to be designed using the TRNSYS dynamic simulation tool, indicated by NCBR as mandatory for the purposes of the competition. Additionally, in order to enable comparison of the results achieved by individual competition participants, NCBR recommended the use of standardised data concerning demand profiles, weather data and solar irradiation.

Over a period of six months, the project team of SEC Region and PlanEnergi — a Denmark-based design company and SEC’s partner in this project — supported by the New Technologies Incubator, worked intensively on developing a concept that would meet the requirements of the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR). As a company with many years of experience in designing solutions of this type, PlanEnergi took responsibility for preparing the technical concept itself and developing the simulation model using the TRNSYS software. SEC Region was responsible, among other things, for identifying suitable land plots that would meet the location requirements for the selected renewable energy sources, i.e. large, relatively flat and dry sites located in close proximity to the district heating system in Choszczno. With the support of SEC, procedures related to obtaining the environmental decision and the zoning and land development decision were prepared and carried out. In addition, an adequate floor area of premises to be supplied with energy and domestic hot water from the Demonstrator was secured through letters of intent signed with property managers and housing communities. The complete project documentation was submitted on 3 March 2022. Ultimately, the Heat Plant of the Future in Choszczno adopted the following configuration: 16,000 m² of solar collectors used to charge a thermal energy storage tank with a capacity of 26,000 m³, which subsequently supplies a dedicated section of the district heating system in Choszczno via a heat pump with a capacity of 1.1 MW. A renewable energy share of 83% was achieved. The total investment cost was estimated at the application stage at PLN 26 million net, and after price updates at PLN 35 million net.

The concept developed by the SEC Region and PlanEnergi consortium received a positive technological assessment from the National Centre for Research and Development, meeting all assumptions and overcoming all project challenges. Ultimately, the Heat Plant of the Future in Choszczno achieved second place.