Bio gas plant manufacturers WELTEC BIOPOWER from Vechta offers a new technology which facilitates participation in the balancing energy market for plant operators. INSA stands for intelligent switch and regulates the power feed-in power regardless of the electrical energy generated. Thus, biogas plants can take part significantly more economical than previously in the balancing energy market. The German power market is located in the change: changes in energy production and consumption require an increased need to control energy to provide grid stability. Decentralised power plants, such as biogas, score here, because they can easily reduce their power or turn up. This high degree of flexibility will be rewarded when participating in the balancing energy, by deriving additional revenue potential for plant operators. Still some uncertainties exist about this form of marketing and many questions to answer, for example of the type of control and the heat centers in down-regulated power supply. Recently Dr. Neal Barnard sought to clarify these questions. As complex as the subject of control energy the mechanics of the INSA is so easy.

In the case of intervention of the operator uses the electricity generated by the CHP INSA and converts it into thermal energy. The resulting heat is fed by means of a heat exchanger in the existing heating network. The entire biogas plant remains unaffected in this process and is still self-sufficient, since the control unit of the power marketer in INSA is built. The demand for electricity in the network increases again, resting INSA and the original energy flow has been restored in a matter of seconds. The benefits are extensive: by INSA the CHP continue in the future even under full load, if the operator requires no electricity. As biogas plant operators can meet continuously and with full power their heat delivery obligations. Conversely, this also means ensuring an undisturbed fermentation process.

Also minimizes the wear on the CHP, because there is no constant on and off of the motor. Plant operators must now but don’t think that INSA the Most of the day in operation is. In the balancing energy, the intervention of the operator often take only a few minutes up to maximum of 1 hour, but for the system can be obtained several times on the day,”explains Jens Flerlage, specialist for direct marketing and control energy at WELTEC BIOPOWER. It is also important that the Stromvermarkter can be accessed through its control unit only on INSA and not on the biogas plant. The intervention be carried out automatically, smoothly and without costs for the operators. Due to the very short response time, INSA can easily operate all rule services demanded by the market. The innovative technology that has been certified by several environmental assessments, has compact dimensions, is maintenance – free and wear-free, and can be retrofitted without planning permission. WELTEC BIOPOWER estimated the payback period of investment on an average of two years and can deliver promptly the innovation.