Our energy supply is in a state of upheaval. Thanks to a political and social consensus, renewable energy sources are increasingly coming to the fore in the general energy supply in Germany and, of course, in industry. Fossil fuels such as coal and gas will hardly play a role in the future due to the energy transition. Compared to the power plant technology of past decades, future energy sources are less easy to plan. This requires a technical and planning rethink in the design of energy generation plants.

Power-to-Heat concepts for greater energy efficiency

When using renewable energy sources, large fluctuations are the rule, so it is never reliably predictable when there will be a particularly large amount of renewable energy available and when a shortage is to be expected. Power-to-X systems, which convert any surplus energy into heat (power-to-heat) or hydrogen (power-to-gas), are best suited to managing surplus phases. In both systems, the plants for industry are designed to make the energy usable as effectively as possible and, depending on current demand, to be able to cover peaks without significant energy losses. “Energy to go”, so to speak, almost as effective and environmentally friendly as renewable energy from water, the earth or photovoltaics, despite the high electrical output.

Heat pumps and heat storage

Generating heat from electricity, for example using the power of heat pumps including heat storage or similar technologies, has a very poor reputation, especially in direct comparison with the use of renewable energies in the grid. However, this is changing completely in the context of the energy transition when we are dealing with surplus electricity, as is often the case in large grids, for example from municipal utilities. With a power-to-heat system, excess electricity can be converted into heat energy with almost no energy loss by using a heat storage unit, and this is completely CO2-neutral and can be used immediately. Whether for the use of surplus electricity from municipal utility networks, as a feed-in to the district heating supply or as a backup in the heating process, Kraftanlagen offers you the green solution for heat and steam generation in a power-to-heat system. And for every area of industry.

The expansion of renewable energies and the shutdown of conventional thermal power plants are increasingly leading to large energy surpluses in the electricity grids, which can be compensated for by power-to-heat (P2H) or power-to-gas (P2G) and conversion into green heat. The term “heat transition” is becoming increasingly important in this context, as large quantities of heat and steam that were previously produced as waste heat in the power plants are lost as a result of the shutdown. While power-to-heat plants convert electricity into heat, power-to-gas technology stores energy by converting it into hydrogen.

The use of electrode boilers makes it possible to convert renewable electrical energy into heat and steam quickly, efficiently, and in large quantities. The electrode boiler is connected via a medium-voltage connection and can generate heat compactly and as required with the help of immersion electrodes, a regulated water level and the applied voltage.

These processes are becoming increasingly popular in industry in Germany. This is because they make a valuable contribution to saving energy, as both processes make sensible use of energy that would otherwise be wasted.

The advantages of power-to-heat technology

Numerous possible applications for power-to-heat

We advise our customers and offer them a wide range of P2H solutions tailored to their needs: Backup boilers, heat procurement optimization, connection instead of curtailment, grid frequency regulation, hedging of full load hours, CO2-neutral heat generation and heat-led peak shaving.
Of course, we can also advise you on a solution with gas and the corresponding hydrogen conversion suitable for the industrial sector that is relevant to you.

With Kraftanlagen as general contractor and PARAT, the global market leader in electrode boilers, you get a turnkey P2H system that is tailored to your needs.
For your individual energy transition.

Our services for your energy project

Background information: Control energy/control operation

The Federal Network Agency is responsible for ensuring that the amount of electricity produced and the consumption of energy are always in balance in the nationwide electricity supply. As electricity can still only be stored with great effort, so-called balancing energy is required. This is the only way to ensure that there is no undersupply.

Control energy (also known as “control power”) is the amount of electricity that a grid operator needs to balance out fluctuations in its electricity grid. Experts distinguish between negative and positive balancing energy. Negative balancing energy describes the phenomenon where more is fed into the grid than is drawn from it. The grid operator therefore needs electricity consumers.

Positive energy describes the opposite case: more electricity is required than is currently being generated. The grid operator now requires additional electricity from suppliers who feed this into their grid. Transmission system operators work for various grid operators to balance the power imbalance.
A large proportion of balancing energy is now provided by power-to-heat plants and the conversion of energy into hydrogen.

However, other energy suppliers that obtain their electricity exclusively from renewable energies, for example, are also part of these grids in many companies such as municipal utilities and large companies.

Which companies are interested in a power-to-heat system?

Our customers include industrial companies, SMEs, municipal utilities, local authorities, electricity suppliers, companies from the energy sector and grid operators.
The energy transition poses enormous challenges for all these companies and for society as a whole.

Renewable energies, heat from the earth, hydropower and wind energy are increasingly becoming an integral part of the global energy supply. And yet the enormous power fluctuations in the electricity grids are a reality. This energy can be converted into heat without significant electrical losses and used in a variety of ways using technologies based on heat pumps, heat storage and convertible systems.

This technology is therefore fundamentally valuable for use in all companies and institutions that have to deal with large amounts of electricity. Power-to-heat can be excellently combined with other technologies such as photovoltaics, geothermal energy, wind power and all other renewable energies found in a modern electricity grid.

Why you should plan your power-to-heat project with power plants

The Kraftanlagen Group has many years of expertise and a global network, making it the ideal partner for your system project. Our range of services not only includes sound planning, professional implementation and commissioning of your power-to-heat system. We offer you exceptional planning security in terms of time and budget. We are equally adept at procuring all the components required for construction. We have Europe-wide sources for premium quality components at the most favorable conditions on the market.

We are also happy to stay on board when it comes to the regular maintenance of your system or if you want to adapt, modify or expand the system. We also stay on board with you during the regular operation of the system and ensure that your power-to-heat system runs economically, reliably and in an environmentally friendly manner.

Of course, you also benefit from our flexibility as an experienced plant constructor, as we can combine different energy systems and create the necessary interfaces right from the planning stage. You can rely on our experience, our expertise and our international network.

We look forward to talking to you.

Case Study:

The advantages of power-to-heat technology