District Heating and Cooling Through Power Plant Retrofit and Distribution Network
A study of the potential for district heating in Minnesota was conducted as part of the Minnesota Energy Agency's effort to encourage the application of district heating as an energy conserving measure. This study, the Minnesota Project, was funded by the United States Department of Energy as part of its program to demonstrate the use of heat produced as a by-product 6f electrical generation in existing condensing electric power plants as a source for district heating. Phase 1 of this program, the results of which are reported herein, entailed a survey and analysis of potential demonstration sites with the objective of identifying the most attractive site(s) for actual implementation. The Minnesota Project began with a survey of all steam turbine power plants in the state to identify those plants that could be retrofitted for district heating. Thirty-nine plants were identified and each of these plants was matched with a potential service area in a nearby community. The nine most promising power plant/service area pairs were then reviewed in some detail. This review included a preliminary review of owner 2 utility preferences, technical feasibility of retrofit, fuel type, 5 ownership options and environmental factors. Five of the nine were selected for more detailed study. The initial institutional and economic assessments indicated that two of the five were less promising than the other three, and these two were then eliminated from further analysis. As a result of this screening and assessment process, three especially promising communities, Red Wing, Moorhead, and Fergus Falls, were identified as viable candidates for initial analysis. These three cities were evaluated in terms of technical factors, potential market, institutional considerations and preliminary economic analysis. The project team was headed by the Minnesota Energy Agency, who served as prime contractor to the DOE, and included KVB, Inc., who conducted the technical assessmdnt of retrofit schemes, and Touche Ross & Co., who carried out the assessment of market, institutional issues and economic analysis. Other members of the team included Fjarrvarmebyran ab, a leading Swedish distribution system design firm who developed distribution schemes for nine Minnesota communities as part of the project, and Metcalf and Eddy, an architect/engineer firm who assisted KVB and Fjarrvarmebyran in adapting European district heating technology to Minnesota conditions. The results of this preliminary analysis indicated that all three communities are good candidates for district heating systems. Two of the three, Moorhead and Red Wing, have excellent economic potential and a very favorable institutional climate. In both of these cities, there is a very strong commitment of support and. cooperation from the utility and the community for the concept of district heating. In the third city, Fergus Falls, there are some initial thermal market limitations and institutional considerations which make this city somewhat less attractive as a demonstration site. However, this city is still a viable candidate for cogeneration district heating given long term development and energy planning.
- Research Organization:
- CHO (Chicago Operations Office, Argonne, IL (United States))
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- EM78C024980
- OSTI ID:
- 1093289
- Report Number(s):
- COO49801EXSUM
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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