News Categories
Other stories in Electricity
- Steve Smith quits Ofgem and joins High Street bank
- First offshore transmission operators announced
- ETI seeks partners to develop energy storage
- Drax Power anounces output and earnings on the up
- Reactor firms start Wylfa work
Tagcloud
abstraction, AEP, anaerobic digestion, Anglian Water, Australasia, Benelux, BG Group, bil, billing, bills, biomass, Bristol Water, British Energy, British Gas, budget, Business Stream, call centres, carbon, carbon capture, CCWater, Centrica, CHP, climate change, coal, competition, complaints, connections, Conservatives, Consumer Focus, consumer research, cost of capital, credit crunch, customers, Cyprus, Czech Republic, debt, Decc, Defra, defra, Denmark, Department of Energy and Climate Change, distributed generation, Dong, drainage, Drax, Drinking Water Inspectorate, drought, e, Eastern Europe, eco-towns, economy, Ed Miliband, EDF, EDF Energy, effic, Efficiency, efficiency, electricity, electricity distribution, electricity generation, electricity retail, electricity transmission, Eligible households should automatically get £80 refund on energy bill, emergencies, emissions, emissions trading, ENA, Enel, Energy, energy, energy distribution, energy efficiency, energy generation, energy policy, energy retail, Energy retail, energy security, energy services, energy storage, energy suppliers, energy supply, energy transmission, engineering, Eni, environment, Environment Agency, Eon, ERA, ESB, Essent, Eurelectric, Europe, European Commission, European Union, finance, Finland, flooding, France, fuel poverty, gas, gas distribution, gas retail, gas storage, gas supply, gas transmission, gas transport, Gazprom, GDF Suez, geothermal, Germany, health and safety, Heat, heat, hom, hometop, Iberdrola, ice, industrial relations, infrastructure, Infrastructure Planning Commission, innovation, interruptions, IP, Ireland, Italy, jobs, leakage, legal, LNG, maintenance, metering, Morrison, MPs, National Grid, NEA, Netherlands, NI Water, NIAUR, NIE, NIE Energy, Nordic, Northern Gas Networks, Northern Ireland, Northumbrian Water, Npower, nuclear, offshore, offshore wind, Ofgem, ofwat, Ofwat, Ombudsman Service, operations, ownership, pan-utility, Parliament, people, planning, po, policy, politcs, politics, pollution, poverty, pri, price review, pricing, protest, quality, re, regulation, renewables, research, Russia, RWE, Scotia Gas Networks, scotland, Scotland, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power, Scottish renewables, Scottish Water, security of supply, selling, Severn Barrage, Severn Trent, Severn Trent Water, sewerage, skills, smart grids, smart metering, smart meters, solar, South West Water, Southern Water, Spain, st, storage, streetworks, sustainability, Switzerland, tariffs, Thames, thames water, Thames Water, trading, unbundling, Unison, United Utilities, utility engineering, Vattenfall, vehicles, Veolia, w, waste management, wastewater, wastewater treatment, water, Water, water @homefeatured, water abstraction, water and energy policy, water distribution, water efficiency, water neutrality, water resources, water retail, water supply, water treatment, water uk, Water UK, weather, Welsh Power, Welsh Water, Wessex Water, Wics, wind, WWU, Yorkshire Water, zero-carbon development
< South Staffs Water managing director is new chairman for Energy and Utility Skills | Government proposes to increase size of competitive water market from April 2010 >
German firms unveil home power plant project
Mini power plant can be installed in the cellar of a domestic residence
German renewable energy firm Lichtblick and auto giant VolksWagen have unveiled a home power plant project that they say would enable Germany to abandon coal-fired and nuclear power plants.
The two companies are launching an ambitious initiative to install miniature gas-fired power plants in people's basements generating heat, hot water and electricity. The project could also help to overcome the problems experienced by the grid network caused by high levels of renewable energy in the system, say the companies.
In the coming year some 100 000 of the mini power plants will be installed in homes around Germany, creating a "huge, invisible" power plant with the same capacity as two nuclear plants. VolksWagen will contribute to the project by supplying the gas-powered engine, which will be similar to that used in its Gold cars.
The mini power plants will produce 60 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions compared with conventional heat and electricity generation. Excess electricity produced in homes will be fed to the local grid, and the mini power plants could also be mobilised to meet surges in electricity demand or to support the grid.
The two companies have called the mini power plant concept "SchwarmStrom" (literally "swarm power) and believe that it could help Germany to reduce dependence on coal and nuclear power stations if deployed on a wide scale. "SchwarmStrom is revolutionising power production in Germany. It clears the way for more renewable energy and an exit from power from nuclear and coal," the companies said in a statement.
Households taking part in the scheme will pay EUR5000 for the generator and heating system installation. They would then pay a lower price for heating and receive a "rent" for hosting the generator as well as a bonus at the end of the year based on Lichtblick's electricity revenues.
Comment on this story
Sign up to our free email newsletters