Case Study

Energy Scheme for New Production Site

Sustainability and secure supply: photovoltaic company benefits from customised energy solutions
(November 2007)

Apart from the cost-effective sourcing solutions for electricity, heat and cooling, security of supply is becoming increasingly important for production plants. TÜV SÜD Industrie Service has developed a sustainable energy scheme which provides a sound basis for making a decision on any intended works extension.

The company produces silicon wafers for solar applications and plans to build another production hall in the immediate vicinity of its existing works. A focal point of the scheme is that the company will produce its own electricity in addition to the energy purchased. "In wafer production, the secondary costs of complete power failure and abrupt shutdown of the production plant would be excessive", says Frank Schröter, Energy Systems, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH.

Integrated approach

In a first step, TÜV SÜD's experts survey the actual status of the project and the owner's/operator's specifications in a 'status-quo analysis'. Future annual energy needs are broken down on the basis of individual consumers and components. In the case on hand, engineers then reviewed the capacities of the energy suppliers and the connection to a regional natural gas pipeline.
"To ensure optimally dimensioned plant-engineering solutions and the best possible mode of operation, we compare several options, e.g. by output, configuration or manufacturer combination“, says Frank Schröter.
"As technical systems sometimes involve complex interactions, planning must never lose sight of the big picture.“ The experts run model calculations with individual parameters, including the prices of electricity and natural gas, to compare various scenarios.

The energy scheme includes elements such as technical aspects, but also organisational measures and financial planning. This includes expenses for maintenance and manpower plus operational and rent costs. Investment support also may play a role in planning: Companies that can furnish proof that their energy-saving actions will achieve the defined reductions in energy consumption, for example, may be eligible for subsidised investment loans.

Innovative plant-engineering solutions

TÜV SÜD developed a customised energy scheme for the wafer producer which provides for the combined heat and power production and modern coolers from the company's own co-generation unit to complement energy purchasing. In the event of a power failure, the co-generation unit produces enough energy to ensure a controlled shutdown of the key technical systems and thus prevents secondary costs. The CHP unit supplies the energy needed for cooling and other significant secondary processes.

In combination with the optimised individual procurement solution, the future benefits for the new production plant will extend beyond a more efficient resources balance. The future-oriented energy scheme also permits well-founded investment planning.