Decarbonised District Heating for Stralsund

Several thousand households in Stralsund receive renewable district heating. During the summer months, the heat supply is provided entirely by solar energy.

The project was initiated following the award of a contract by the Federal Network Agency under the innovative combined heat and power (iCHP) funding scheme. The requirement was a completely new generation unit with high efficiency and low CO₂ emissions, integrated directly into the existing district heating network. Added to this were tight deadlines leading up to commissioning and a site that presented challenges both from an environmental and mining law perspective.

On behalf of SWSE Energie GmbH, BLS Energieplan was general planner for the Grünhufe special-purpose energy zone. The plant brings together a combined heat and power (CHP) unit rated at 4.5 MW electrical, a heat pump that recovers heat from the flue gas, an evacuated tube solar thermal array with 16 MW peak output, one of the largest in Germany, and a 2,500 m³ heat storage tank that increases flexibility and grid stability.