SUNSTORE4: 100% Renewable District Heating

Our Projects
July 2010 to June 2014

SUNSTORE4 demonstrated the integration of individually proven technologies to produce a 100% renewable and cost-effective heat system in Denmark.

Marstal 2012 - Source Marstal District Heating — Marstal 2012 – Source Marstal District Heating

Duration:

July 2010 to June 2014.

Target Countries:

Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK.

Description / Objectives:

The SUNSTORE4 project, along with 10 other European projects, is a part of the so-called “EU Flag Projects”. The aim of the project was to demonstrate a large-scale innovative, cost-effective and technically 100% sustainable renewable energy system. The project aimed to demonstrate the integration of a 100% renewable energy plant, based on solar energy and biomass energy (willow wood chips from energy crops), including a compressor heat pump using CO2 as a refrigerant and electricity production from biomass through an Organic Ranking Cycle (ORC) unit.

The European perspective of the SUNSTORE4 demonstration project was that it would be potentially applicable and adaptable to different regions of Europe with different types of conditions. The SUNSTORE4 demonstrate site is the heating grid in Marstal (Denmark) and aimed to demonstrate the integration of then proven individual technologies. Based upon this experience, the SUNSTORE4 project aimed to assess the feasibility of such a system in other EU countries.

Results / Final Reports:

The SUNSTORE4 project created an innovative integrated and 100% renewable energy system, with a high replication potential across Europe. Furthermore, it produced this system at an estimated heat cost price in Northern Europe of 50-55 EUR/MWh excluding the salaries for staff. The technical features of this system allowed it to act flexibly across seasons, dealing with the challenges of summer overheating, in addition to a long-term heat storage unit to reduce heat losses.

The project also included a heat pump, which transfers energy to the energy storage and a turbine, a ORC, which is an electricity-producing device that can use the energy from the flue gas produced in the biomass boiler. As a result of the SUNSTORE4 project, Marstal Fjernvarme’s nearly 1,500 consumers now receive 55% of their thermal energy from the solar production and 45% of their thermal energy from locally-produced biomass (energy willow). The SUNSTORE4 project produced a final report.

Project Partners:

Marstal Fjernvarme a.m.b.a. (DK); SUNMARK A/S (DK); Euro Therm A/S (DK); Advansor (DK); Steinbeis Innovation GmbH (DE); Energy Management AB (SE); BIOS Bioenergiesysteme GmbH BB (AT); Euroheat & Power; CityPlan spol. s r.o (CZ); Ambiente Italia (IT); PlanEnergi (DK).