MAN Energy Solutions has won the order to supply another MAN 12V35/44G TS gas engine to the public utilities (Stadtwerke) of the town of Schwäbisch Hall in southern Germany.

The genset will increase the output of the existing combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant to a total of 15MW, and will replace an existing, outdated engine.

The new engine will deliver an electrical efficiency of 46%, compared to 39% for the existing unit, therefore increasing the efficiency of the entire plant; the overall efficiency of CHP operation will eventually exceed 90%.

The power plant on Alfred-Leikam-Street has produced electrical energy and heat for the local heating-network of the city since 1997.

MAN Energy Solutions previously delivered an engine of the same type to Stadtwerke Schwäbisch Hall in 2018.

The new engine will be operated for around 4,000 hours a year using combined-heat-and-power technology. Due to the existing, district-heating storage, it will also be possible to decouple it from the heating network and to be used to generate electricity solely. “In this way, Stadtwerke Schwäbisch Hall will be able to make optimum use of the engine’s flexibility and respond to short-term price levels on the electricity market,” said Dr Tilman Tütken, head of sales, power plants Europe, at MAN Energy Solutions.

“Renewable energies and CHP-concepts with district heating are economical and sustainable in the long term,” said Thomas Hoppenz, head of Technical Division at Stadtwerke Schwäbisch Hall.

“The numerous photovoltaic, wind-energy, biogas and hydropower plants in our supply area are ideally complemented by flexible CHP power plants. MAN Energy Solutions is a reliable and experienced partner and we are looking forward to our renewed cooperation.”

In addition to the engine and auxiliary systems, the scope of supply and services also includes an oxidation catalyst and the engineering of the heat-extraction system. MAN Energy Solutions will remain a partner in the project even after the planned commissioning in 2022 when the company’s global after-sales brand, MAN PrimeServ, will take over maintenance together with the staff of Stadtwerke Schwäbisch Hall.