Our Members: Our Members' Activities > Germany > Frankfurt am Main
Managing Energy Consumption in Public Buildings
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In Frankfurt, the systematic reduction in energy usage in public facilities follows a defined model. As long ago as 1983, an office was set up to manage the city's energy that grew in the subsequent years to become the Department for Energy Management, responsible for a total of 1,800 facilities. Savings in energy costs of Euro 400,000 per year could already be made simply by setting up an energy control system with automatic consumption measurement in parts.
With the profit-sharing system for users, energy commissioners in all facilities can receive 25% of the usage savings as a premium, the facility receives a further 25% and the remaining 50% goes to the Department for Energy Management for reinvestment in savings measures. The energy teams in schools were particularly successful: they achieved savings of around 21% without having to leave anyone sitting in the dark or cold!
Consistent energy management has meant that the CO2 emissions of city facilities could be reduced by up to 24% since 1990. Another important step was the 2007 resolution made by the local parliament to only allow state-owned or state-used properties to be built when they fulfil passive house standards. This makes Frankfurt a world leader in this field.
Picture credits: City of Frankfurt am Main
Energy Planning of Decentralised District Heating with Cogeneration
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As early as 1991, Frankfurt's city council determined to use every opportunity to integrate Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation and "on-site" electricity production into heating stations and new development areas. A consultation service was set up offering free advice to all building owners, information meetings and discussion groups for owners of CHP stations were organised, and a market survey for small and medium-sized CHP plants was published regularly.
The results are clearly discernible: to date, around 120 CHP stations generating a total energy supply of more than 24,000 kWel have been installed. They can be found in office buildings, schools, fire stations, hospitals, recreation centres, some industrial sites, and many new local district heating networks. In some new residential areas, the use of district heat with cogeneration was set by a statute of the city council - with the proviso that the solutions were economical for the supplier, investor and user.
Consumption of primary energy was reduced by about 30% and CO2 emissions cut by approximately 75,000 tons per year. Furthermore, on-site production of electricity also contributes to the security of energy supply.
Picture credits: City of Frankfurt am Main
THE GENTLE GIANT
A biomass power plant in Fechenheim supplies electricity to 20,000 households per year and in doing so has managed to avoid 84,000 tonnes
in carbon dioxide emissions.
Frankfurt am Main is doing well with a combined heat and power scheme. The biomass power plant at Fechenheim that is setting new standards in the industry was built as part of the city's climate protection programme. A network of wood suppliers, energy companies and industry has been established around the facility which works in an exemplary fashion. The biomass plant, which is one of the most modern facilities in the world, started operating recently and has proved to be exceedingly efficient by avoiding large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. At the heart of the plant there is a 35-tonne generator, which is powered by a steam turbine and produces 70,000 megawatthours of electricity per year - enough for 20,000 households. The facility also produces thermal energy that can heat around 8,000 households (95,000 megawatt-hours). The city took particular care to ensure that the plant was efficient and environmentally-friendly when selecting the project. Officials were also careful to make sure that the plant is sturdy, to ensure that it can operate safely.
