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Green from the inside out
A Danish supply company from Faaborg will supply the greenest district heating in the country with SF6-free medium voltage systems.
“I can’t imagine anything other than an increase in demand for long-lasting green solutions.”
Background
In Faaborg, a town located on Denmark’s third largest island—Funen, more than 2,000 households can look forward to a reduction in their heating bill of approximately DKK 2000 per year. This is because the local supply company, FFV, has replaced the gas boiler that powered the town’s district heating system with an electrically powered heat pump following new energy policy legislation which gives suppliers greater freedom when it comes to choosing energy sources. And it is not just the consumers who will benefit. The change will also have a positive impact on the climate.
Challenge
Medium voltage systems that support climate-friendly energy plan
As part of FFV’s climate-friendly energy plan, the company wanted to choose options for replacing its gas boiler, that were as green as possible. Through the power network operator Vores Elnet, which is responsible for the power supply to FFV, the green strategy has been implemented all the way down to the choices of its less visible aspects, such as the medium voltage system that will ensure the heat pump receives the power it needs.
Most medium voltage systems use the gas SF6 as an insulating medium, even though the UN Climate Panel has declared it the most harmful greenhouse gas ever, with a global warming potential that is 23,500 times higher than CO2 and an atmospheric life of at least 3200 years, and up to several thousand years. A standard SF6 system typically contains between two and four kilos of SF6 gas, equivalent to between 70,000 and 95,000 kilos of CO2. If it leaks, it has major consequences for the environment.
Solution
Eaton’s Xiria system: based on vacuum technology and air, instead of harmful SF6 gas
In line with the climate-friendly intention of the project, Vores Elnet has installed a SF6-free medium voltage system from Eaton. The Xiria-system is Vores Elnet’s preferred solution when connecting new facilities and renovating transformer stations on the 10kV grid. A solution that FFV is supporting:
“We want to help the municipality achieve its goal of becoming CO2 neutral by 2050. We also believe that green solutions are the future. A heat pump is a long-term investment that should last for the next 40 years. That is why it is especially important for us to think ahead and make the right choices,” says Dennis Pedersen, Department Manager of Water, Heat and Wastewater at FFV.
Eaton’s Xiria system is based on vacuum technology and air, instead of harmful SF6 gas. This means that using the system results in SF6 emissions savings with a high CO2 equivalent, and the requirements for disposal of the system are much less stringent. In addition to significant CO2 savings, this means the requirements for disposal of the system are much less stringent than those for SF6 systems. It will therefore also be an economic advantage to invest in SF6-free systems, says Henrik Wilhøft, Project Sales Engineer at Eaton, who explains:
“SF6-free systems are slightly higher in price, but the total cost during the lifetime will be lower because the systems require less maintenance and are much easier to dispose of at the end of their life.”
Martin Wildt Davidsen, who works as an electrical power engineer at Vores Elnet, has positive experiences with Eaton’s system, and he believes it strikes the right balance between price, environmental considerations and maintenance requirements.
He predicts that the demand for green systems will increase in the coming years:
“The social development is heading in that direction, and I can’t imagine anything other than an increase in demand for long-lasting green solutions.”
Result
Xiria medium voltage system is an SF6-free design, which is better for the environment.
The heat pump is expected to be ready to supply district heating in Faaborg from January 1st, 2021. The pump will cover 95 percent of the total heating load in the area and will save consumers around DKK 2000 per household per year. Each household will reduce their CO2 emissions by 1.5 tons per year when they connect to the new district heating system.
“This is one of the greenest district heating projects I know of in Denmark. The green aspect really is integrated from the inside out in all the solutions of this project. This is great, because it can sometimes be easy to overlook environmental goals when it comes to smaller components such as medium voltage systems. And that is a shame, given that they often represent a great opportunity with excellent benefits for both the climate and the economy in the long run,” says Henrik Wilhøft, Project Sales Engineer at Eaton.
