Monday 23rd March 2015

BSC College Visit

Figure 1 : Good Morning in Guest house

It is 7 a.m. in the morning, looking from the window of the guest house, the panorama is delightful, winter still keep stronghold and won’t make way to spring. The grass still shining with frozen droplets on the left hand side and I can see a long chimney and wondering what is for. Still tired from the journey I make my way to get breakfast and rekindle with my fellow travelers: Nicola Hayes, Todorka Petrova, Jose Alberto, Millie Darling, Simon Gordon and Gary Suen.

Time flew and it was time to start the green adventure, P. Muller came to pick us up from the guest house and 5 minute drive later we were sitting and being introduced to the BCS program by Chief executive, H. Gerlach and his team.

The CEO of the company gave a brief description of BCS history and how it became the learning center from a small industrial and training company of East Germany. At the moment BSC offers a diverse training system that can last up to 42 month on a large spectrum, ranging from professional retraining, modular training and consultancy. Their courses can said to be ‘all in one’ because all hands on practice are comprehensive with the theory, covering home economics, textile, industrial and much more. BCS focus on improving employability shown that they do not only think about energy sustainability but also concerning about the social care for residential people. It is also good to know that if people have already employed by a company and they need to be retrained in here because of the technological system they use were being updated, they actually don’t have to pay for their course because Job Centre in Germany will pay for them. We believe that is a good policy for employees.

During our discussion time, it is interesting for us to know as shown in following:

1. Now there are some existing debates between nuclear energy and renewable energy because German thinks that nuclear energy can make a high profit for them.
2. Complicate political issues are still not fully approved for renewable energy until it is worth.
3. In 2009, people can start producing their own energy, use it and sell it to the others but the price for the electricity (Kw/h) has been currently decreased as people think that they might save enough money to survive.
4. Technical system such as heating pumps in Germany has been improved. The old heating pumps need to consume 82 Kw/h but now it just only need around 8 to 10 kw/h, so it is more energy have been saved.

Figure 2: From left: Jose, Simon, Millie, D.Herβ, Mark, Nicola, Muller, Salvatore and Todorka, photo credited by Gary Suen

Solar PV System Installation Visit

After talking about the current German situation and why there was a boom in energy produced from photovoltaic which was made mainly profitable and how now lobby from fossil fuel producer and policy changes slowed down this thriving success which could not be supported economically, we head to see their PV installation in Haus ΙΙ.

Here we are shown two working PV systems, one is located on the central section of the building installed in year 2007 before, with a capacity of 10 KWh. The second one on two sides of the building installed in 2011 with 29 KWh capacities. This self-installed PV has a 15 degree inclination and is exposed south to maximize solar energy intake.

This installation cost BCS around € 80.000 and this capital cost will be annuitized in 8 years, with an expected lifetime of around 30 years. We believe that is a good investment and it is also very efficient because they produce enough energy per year to cover 36% of the energy they needed in Haus ΙΙ which is around 100,000 KW a year from their various departments, including metal and plastic engineering departments with high tech control systems.

Figure 3: Solar PV Installation in Central Section of the building 

Figure 4: It shows different readings such as the power of Solar PV generating and the carbon dioxide generating at the moment

Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Visit

After lunch, we were being invited to visit the combined heat and power plant (CHP), called Dachs Arbitsprinzip, next to the dining room. CHP is the simultaneous utilisation of heat and power from a single fuel or energy supplies. During the process of power generation, heat is produced. Thereby part of this heat, the usable one is then captured and distributed. This system enables the power plant to achieve a high overall thermal efficiency by recycling heat that would be wasted into the surrounding environment. Dachs Arbitsprinzip was produced by the company Senertic in Schweinfurt, it is 50km distance from BSC and it works since 2008. The electrical energy that generated from CHP is tend to be used up completely by BCS itself and the heat of the system is used for heating up the water now. The system has an efficiency of 90% and it used gas as its fuel. The electrical power is 5.5kw, and the thermal power is 12.5kw. In overall, Haus I produced 40,000kwh electrical energy per year. The total electrical energy for Haus I is 120,000kwh per year. Therefore, BCS has generated around 30% of the energy needed theirselves. The cost for the whole system is 40,000 euro and its amortisation time is from 10 years.

Waste Plant (ZAST) Visit

After that, we are going to visit the residual waste plant (ZAST) that is only two minutes away from the BSC College.

Figure 5: I’m surprise to see a huge plant with few operators and I’m explained that is mostly a mechanized facility by Salavatore

As soon as we get in, we are welcomed by the ZAST manager and he had given us a brief which about the plant with a bird eye view picture and a section showing how this plant is going to be operated. As soon as we get in, we are welcomed by the ZAST manager and he had given us a brief which about the plant with a bird eye view picture and a section showing how this plant is going to be operated.

Figure 6: The front view of the waste plant, ZAST  

Figure 7: the front view of waste collecting point

After that, we are being described by how the waste is loaded and burnt at a minimum of 800 ⁰C, which is required by law in Germany. This site can be taken up to 160,000 tons of waste per year, nearly half of a million German’s waste collecting in here. The waste is then divided into industrial and residential from an area of around 500,000. We are being told that waste is highly selected in Germany with recycling reaching around 50% compared to UK which struggle to reach 20%! It is good also good to know that ZAFT also buy some industrial waste to burn and sell it to the energy exchange system

Before we are going to visit the waste collection point, we see a fully-waste carried truck which is going to be weighted and have a radio nucleus waste check. Once we arrive at the waste collecting point. It is hardly we can smell anything because the high pressurized system prevents odours escaping from the concrete chamber. At this point, waste has been dumped into the tank from the truck. From the chamber, a mechanized hand picks and drops the waste into the burner and the heat will be extracted by heating up the purified water and finally electricity has been generated. For the residual ash, it will be collected in a second concrete chamber. This is all the heavy staff that will fall directly due to gravity. Before releasing the smoke into the air, smoke cleaning is very important because it is a step to restore dangerous materials before they get emitted. These can be treated in four stages:

• Ammonia is injected into the smoke and then convert the nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water
• Reaction with calcium carbonate to reduce Sulphur dioxide, neutrlisation process.
• To reduce NOx emissions, they will ensure the complete combustion of the fuel is operating.
• As for fly ash or particulate matter, there are bag filters are used to separate heavier particles.

Finally, ZAST need to cost 100 million euro to build with a 20 year repayment plan. It starts planning in 2003 and built in 2005. The main purpose of this plant is to reduce to almost zero the amount of waste that goes to landfill, which is around 2% now in Germany. It also has a complier system with the aims of balancing the output of heat and electricity in different season, such as we might need more electricity in summer and need more heating in winter. Therefore, ZAFT can change its energy system planning in order to fit with our daily life. At the end, it is good to know that EU had passed a law that makes illegal for sending untreated wastes to landfill. Therefore, we all believe that ZAST is a self-sufficient plant with an energy reservoir that serves also the fire trucks of Suhl.