This video brought to you by Smartpower demonstrates how our smartgrid solution improves the financial performance of combined heat and power plants.
Most businesses in Ireland receive electricity via a centralised generating system. Fuel is burned which powers turbines to produce electricity. Any left-over heat is vented to the atmosphere resulting in a loss of energy. The electricity is then transported via the transmission and distribution network, where further energy is lost.
Generating electricity this way, means that by the time the electricity gets to a light bulb it is only about 40% efficient.
One alternative solution is to use a combined heat and power plant. {pause}
Think about a car engine, it gets very hot when powering a car. The same thing happens at a power plant when it is creating electricity. A combined heat and power plant or CHP is designed to capture its own heat and use it locally. {pause}
It ensures that almost no energy goes to waste and can generate significant financial savings for the end user. The correct operational strategy can further optimise these savings and "this is where Smartpower can help out."
SmartPower automatically operates your CHP so that it will only run when it is financially viable.
The CHP optimiser automatically calculates whether the CHP is making a profit and if not shuts down the unit until conditions improve.
Everything above the line is savings, so it makes sense to run the unit as much as possible while making sure that it remains as profitable as possible.
As everything above the line are savings, identifying these times and running the unit means that it is possible to increase the return on your CHP investment.
The hour to hour running costs of a CHP comprise of the current price of gas combined with a calculated hourly maintenance rate.
While on the other side of the balance sheet, the savings are in generated electricity and offset heat usage.
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One of the complications in calculating the cost of electricity, is that the market is difficult to understand and each half hour has a different cost.
SmartPower has calculated these costs for all different types of connections and provides an hourly price feed to customers.
The SmartPower chp optimser uses the current cost of electricity and estimates the heat use through either the outside weather conditions or from the current temperature of heating pipework. If the market conditions are right, then a RUN signal is sent to the CHP. The amount of heat used has an important bearing on the profitability of the CHP.
The SmartPower CHP optimiser can also modulate the unit to match both heat and power requirements.
Internet security is something that SmartPower takes very seriously, each SmartPower CHP optimiser is installed with its own external Firewall locking out all traffic except to our support base and servers. In addition traffic is encypted using Secure Socket Layer to further enhance security.
Local interlocking which is not connected to the internet at all, further protects equipment by providing Maximum & Minimum run times and a maximum number of starts per day.
Live readings from local ModBUS and pulse meters are supported by the SmartPower CHP optimiser giving trusted staff access to live readings, email-alerts and trends.
{note email alerts has no pause between words}
The SmartPower CHP optimiser is very Simple to integrate with existing equipment using Voltage Free Relays.
Best of all, SmartPower helps reduce the payback on your CHP investment. A 1MW (MegaWatt) CHP can make up to €65,000 additional profit when using the SmartPower CHP optimiser.
If you have a CHP or are interested in installing one, then please contact Smartpower at "info AT smartpower dot ie"
Market Leader in Ireland for SmartGrid solutions since 2010.
