Environmental Report 2000 - EnBW

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Special Topics Special Topics Our position as an innovative company on the European energy market is consolidated through our activities in research, development and demonstration. Such activities also serve to sharpen our competitive edge. Environmental engineering comes at the very top of our R&D agenda. Of the 34 research projects we have sponsored, approx. 70% have a direct environmental focus. They cover areas as diverse as kfuel cells, kphotovoltaic cells, kcatalytic units, krefrigerator recycling, ksoil decontamination, kPVC recycling, shielding magnetic fields and the zinc-air battery ZOXY for electro-vehicles. Out of this large range of research projects, we would particularly like to showcase three projects related to the development of the fuel cell. A further highlight is the demonstration installation for thin-layer solar cell technology. We publish an annual report on research activities in our Group. We would be glad to send you on request a copy of this year’s current “Innovation Report” (see attached card). Fuel Cell Technology for the Private Household In partnership with the Swiss technology company Sulzer-Hexis AG we plan to develop fuel cell systems with an electrical output of one kilowatt and a thermal output of three kilowatts (enhanced up to 25 kilowatts with an additional burner) to cover private household heating and hot water needs. 16 In an initial phase up to 2004 we install 55 fuel cell systems for test and demonstration purposes in the region covered by EnBW, NWS and our partner companies. In the pre-production phase these systems will be operated solely on the basis of a contracting model at the premises of the respective customer; the customer will be supplied with heat and power. Fuel Cells Europe’s largest fuel-cell operated power plant Lead-managed by EnBW and EDF, in late October 2000 building work commenced on Europe’s largest fuel-celloperated power plant at Marbach am Neckar with a 1,000 kilowatt electrical output. Co-partners in this mammoth operation are the French energy utility Gaz de France (GDF), the Austrian energy utility Tiroler Fuel cell technology is widely acknowledged as the technology of the future! From their use as propulsion systems in cars as a substitute for the internal combustion engine to their role in generating electricity and warmth in a household context, there are many different kinds and types of fuel cell, each with its own specific application. What all fuel cells have in common is the direct way they transform the chemical energy of fuel into electrical energy and heat with a greater degree of efficiency than can be achieved with conventional means like the internal combustion engine. In the current phase of development fuel cells are powered by natural gas; depending on the type of fuel cell used, an intermediary reform process is needed to produce hydrogen. It still remains to be seen which type of energy source will be in wide use in the future. Advantages of Fuel Cell Technology: • Innovative technology • Cogeneration of electricity and heat with high overall efficiency rates • Ecologically friendly use with no loss of comfort • Minimum pollution • Significantly reduces CO 2 emissions Wasserkraftwerke AG (TIWAG), the plant contractors Siemens Westinghouse (USA) and Siemens AG (Germany). This pioneering project has received funding from the European Commission and the Department of Energy (USA). The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell project (SOFC) is part of a bilateral agreement between the USA and the European Union with the aim of promoting joint research, development and demonstration in the realm of new energy technologies. Electricity for 2000 Inhabitants In contrast to the smaller systems for single households, the SOFC system will be big enough to supply the electricity needs of a 2000-strong community. What’s more, from 2003 onwards it will also supply power to the companies located in the forthcoming Energy and Technology Park in Marbach including the Würth/EnBW Solarfabrik plant (Würth Solar). The SOFC belongs to the group of high-temperature fuel cells. Using a special technique, these cells can convert natural gas into a hydrogenrich gas which then serves as fuel for the actual electrochemical reaction. They can operate successfully on low quality fuel and are much less sensitive to fuel impurities than their low-tem- SOFC Design: This 250 kW fuel cell from Alstom-Ballard. perature counterparts which have been developed as propulsion systems in cars. SOFC plants combine direct power generation with the option of harnessing the waste heat produced by temperatures of around 1 000 degrees Celsius. Micro gas turbines harness heat from fuel cells If we connect a micro gas turbine downstream of the fuel cell system, we can improve the overall electricity output of a one megawatt SOFC system to 55-60%. A further improvement can be gained by heat decoupling and thus better use of fuel. Another key advantage is that emissions from the installation contain neither carbon dioxide nor dust and only minimum levels of nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Whilst the advantages of natural gas powered fuel cell technology will soon become apparent in commercial operations, there is also the longerterm prospect of powering the fuel cell with hydrogen gained from renewable energy sources. Heating for the thermal baths at Mingolsheim We are striving to deepen our commitment to fuel cell technology and, together with ALSTOM Energietechnik GmbH, are now realising a joint demonstration project for mediumsized stationary fuel cell systems at the thermal bath installation at Mingolsheim in the Karlsruhe district. This involves the construction of a energy plant based on PEM fuel cells (polymer electrolytic membrane) in the “Thermarium Schönborn” scheduled to go on stream in late 2001 with an output of 250 kilowatt power and heat. The electricity will be fed into our grid whilst the heat will be channelled into the heating system for the thermal baths. 17
Special Topics The Mingolsheim fuel cell system project is co-financed with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs as part of its EDISon programme. EDISon is an acronym standing for “Energy distribution networks with Decentralised Innovative transformers, Storage and communication systems”. Michelin packs fuel cell power In cooperation with our co-partners, MTU Motoren, Turbinen-Union (DaimlerChrysler) and the Karlsruhe municipal utilities, we are also engaged in a pilot project for the long-term industrial application of the Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC). The stateof-the-art facility is scheduled to come on stream by mid 2002 and will generate power and heat for the Michelin tyre plant in Karlsruhe. The Iffezheim Fish Pass – opening a free passage for salmon and trout Increasing numbers of fish are now making use of our fish pass on their migration up the river Rhine. Flooded on the 15. May 2000, the pass at Iffezheim is now used by salmon and sea trout as well as by 12 domestic varieties of fish. The official opening at the Rheinkraftwerk in Iffezheim (RKI) on the 10th July 2000 was the crown- 18 ing moment of nearly 10 years of intensive planning and construction work. To date the Iffezheimer Fish Pass is the largest construction of its kind in Europe. For a long time the hydroelectric power plant at Iffezheim formed an insuperable barrier for migratory fish such as salmon, sea trout or mayfish. The Fish Pass now allows them an unhindered journey upstream to their spawning grounds. The facility isn’t only impressive in terms of size. The Iffezheimer Fish pass is equipped with a special hydroelectric turbine with a water throughput of up to 12 cubic meters per second. That even a fish pass can be used to generate environmentally friendly power gives credit to the ingenuity of the EnBW engineers. The integrated tube turbine makes dynamic use of the pass drops and also ensures that the three entrances are supplied with a constant strong water flow which lures the fish into thinking they are navigating an oxygen-rich tributary of the Rhine in their journey upstream. Fish navigate a drop of 11 meters Once the fish have been “enticed” into the countercurrent and are swimming up the pass they have a 300 meter long uphill journey before them with a gradient of no less than 11 meters. They will cross a total of 37 pools, connected to one another by a vertical channel enabling continual water flow. The original idea for the construction of the Fish Pass came in 1987 from the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (IKSR) with its mandate for improving the water quality of the Rhine and making the river re-navigable for large migratory fish. Construction work, which began in April 1998, involved the removal of 50,000 cubic meters of earth and the setting of 25,000 cubic meters of concrete. Total construction costs were € 7.9 million. 35% of costs were covered by EDF/EnBW funding. The remaining costs were equally shared by the German and French governments. The pools all have the same gradient and besides the upstream channel also provide zones with quieter water flow where the fish may rest. A ramp near one of the entrances together with a gravel bedding have been designed to provide true-to-life natural conditions to promote the colonisation of the pass by small mussels, snails, crabs and insect larvae as the facility is intended to promote river life in all its forms. Counted and filmed when crossing the line In an effort to ascertain whether the Fish Pass is effectively fulfilling the purpose it was intended for, the fish are counted and filmed on video, caught in a fish-trap and tagged, weighed and measured by experts. Diagram of the Iffezheim hydroelectric power station with fish pass The results capped all expectations. In the second part of 2000 more than 8,600 fish were counted – and that’s not including the more than 30,000 eels which also used the Pass. Point of pride in the tally were the 94 salmon and 466 sea trout whose resettlement in the upper Rhine was a special concern. Further increases in migratory numbers are expected in spring 2000. Catch Results at the Video Fish-trap Combined Fish Pass at Iffezheim 8.6.2000 – 31.12.2000. Salmon 94 Sea trout 466 Brown trout 18 Rainbow trout 5 Barbel 4,334 Nase 743 Common bream 1,687 Asp 683 Chub 64 Bleak 265 Roach 177 White-eye bream 64 Common dace 16 Crucian carp 5 Tench 1 Lamprey 2 Carp 5 Grass carp 1 Mayfish 2 Prussian carp 2 Silver bream 4 Total 8,638 Eel Approx. 30,000 (projection) Data from the Federal Office for Water Protection Berlin/Koblenz. 19
Page 1 and 2: Energie Baden-Württemberg AG Envir
Page 3 and 4: Preface Ladies and Gentlemen, Gerha
Page 5 and 6: EnBW: Corporate Profile EnBW - Germ
Page 7 and 8: EnBW: Corporate Profile • More th
Page 9: At EnBW, environmentally-friendly u
Page 13 and 14: State of the Environment Report Sta
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Page 17 and 18: State of the Environment Report Cit
Page 19 and 20: It is planned to use an innovative
Page 21 and 22: Objectives and Future Projects Acti
Page 23 and 24: Uranium is a safe and economical fu
Page 25 and 26: Further Information Combined heat a
Page 27 and 28: Further Information Our earth is an
Page 29 and 30: Coal is a fuel with high carbon con
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Page 39 and 40: Ecological Review - Facts and Detai
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Page 43 and 44: Glossary Activity Decay rate of an
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