English - MTU Onsite Energy

Sven Kunkel (right) was in charge of the power plant conversion work. He worked closely with Dietmar Witzigmann (left) from MTU Onsite Energy.
“When there were problems, most of the time nobody apart from us was aware of them, because we resolved them by talking directly to one another
and avoiding bureaucracy,” is how the two describe their collaboration.
if the sun is shining or if it is windy, there is a
power aplenty. But what happens on windless
days or if the solar panels are covered in snow?
That is when the supply frequency of 50Hz is at
risk and the possibility of a power outage looms.
So that it does not happen, the transmission
grid operators fall back on sources of control
power. These are mostly provided by the energy
suppliers themselves. But local authority power
plant operators like ÜWAG in Fulda are becoming
increasingly important. The ÜWAG staff do not
know when the engines will start up. The grid
operators pay for the privilege of being able to
call on the generators in an emergency. But when
that point is reached is up to them. When they do
draw on the supply, they have to pay the going
rate. And what that is depends on how quickly
the power plants can supply the electricity. Up
to now, ÜWAG has mainly supplied what is called
60 I MTU Report 03/12