Glaubitzer Technik warms renter shortly in the German Vogtland
16.08.2014 Sächsische Zeitung
Dr. Kathrin Grosser, CEO of the Riesaer Brennstoffzellen GmbH, shows the Secretary for Economic, Sven Morlok the „inhouse 5000+“
Once again, Riesaer Brennstoffzellentechnik GmbH can sell her development. Without the Free State, that might not be possible.
After five fuel cell heaters have already been installed, Riesaer Brennstoffzellen GmbH, headquartered in TGZ Glaubitz, is now launching the second small series of its development, again with a total of five systems. And one of the devices of the type “inhouse 5000+” should even go into operation by the end of the year in an apartment building of the residential construction company Reichenbach in the Vogtland.
The building is currently being renovated, 15 modern apartments are to be built there. “The first day of the open construction site has shown how interested people are in this energy solution,” said the managing director of the company Daniela Raschpichler, “we are pleased to be a pioneer in Saxony.” The installation of Glaubitzer technology is by agreement with the Stadtwerke Reichenbach possible, and their CEO Werner Siegert literally raves about the still quite new technology. “Actually, the installation of a combined heat and power plant was planned, but the efficiency of the fuel cell has convinced. The technology is good, we can use it over 8,000 hours a year, “said the Stadtwerke boss. The goal in the future is to run the “inhouse 5 000+” day and night and thus have electricity produced for the tenants, only in peak times will it then be purchased. The device has paid for itself in four to five years, the managing director of the fuel cell GmbH promises. Katrin Grosser. However, only thanks to two funding programs.
Since one is still a long way from mass production, a single “in-house 5 000+” still costs around 100 000 euros. However, the EU funding program ene.field supports the investment up to 50 percent, with the program of the Free State of Saxony providing the remaining sum of 50 percent. “I’m an opponent of years of funding,” said Saxony’s Economics Minister Sven Morlok (FDP) on Friday in Glaubitz, but just to make innovative energy solutions competitive, such supportive measures make sense. As the first federal state in Germany, therefore, the program “Innovative decentralized power generation and storage” was launched to support new technologies for the storage of electricity and fuel cells. Three million euros are available for this purpose in the current double budget, now has been increased again to four million, because all funds are already covered by applications, announced Sven Morlok. In the Saxon dual budget 2015/2016 even 4.5 million euros are scheduled for the program. Incidentally, so far the subsidies have only been paid for new energy storage solutions; in the area of fuel cell technology, the Reichenbacher project is the first. During his visit to Glaubitz, Sven Morlok personally handed over the subsidy decision to Stadtwerke boss Werner Siegert for just under € 26,000 and had the product explained to him on site.
The “inhouse 5000+” consists of a control module, a reformer and the fuel cell, says Kathrin Grosser. Natural gas and water are supplied and converted into hydrogen in the reformer. The fuel cell in turn converts the hydrogen, together with atmospheric oxygen, to water, generating electricity and heat. Since 1996 research in Glaubitz on the fuel cell technology.
Original publication:
Antje Steglich : Sächsische Zeitung
Glaubitzer Technik wärmt bald Mieter im Vogtland, Sächsische Zeitung – 16.08.2014