A powerful combination
Joint venture combines micro-CHP with heat pumps in carbon cutting solutions
Heating and electrical power at maximum efficiency
Britain's war on carbon emissions has a powerful new ally. SAV Systems has joined forces with EC Power of Denmark to launch a new optimised energy service - LoadTracker.
LoadTracker energy centres will use complementary technologies - including ultra-compact CHP systems and heat pumps - to create fully engineered solutions for both heating and electrical power requirements.
Schools, social housing, hospitals and other projects of all types will benefit from LoadTracker's ability to reduce carbon footprint by around 30% - and cut fuel costs by a similar amount!
Formed in 1994, EC Power is a world leader in the design of micro CHP modules powered by Toyota engines powered with natural gas. The company won the coveted German Micro-CHP of the Year Award in 2008.
The joint venture with SAV Systems will harness the energy saving potential of these machines alongside heat pumps to get the best out of both technologies. It's the first time the natural synergy between the two has been exploited on this scale.
The launch comes at a time when consultants are being asked to design practical means for cutting carbon from predicted energy use in line with the Energy White Paper which sets out to reduce UK CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. The GLA and London boroughs have concluded that Merton Rule compliance should be in terms of carbon rather than energy.
The carbon reduction potential of heat pumps is undermined by connecting them to the national grid. But using them in harmony with matching small scale CHP plant that can generate cheaper, greener electrical power makes perfect low carbon logic, as SAV Systems’ Managing Director Lars Fabricius explains:
"SAV LoadTracker will deliver a green energy centre direct to site. We will utilize field-proven technologies from our partners around Europe, with components sized and selected by our own design team to provide a total holistic solution.
Our own engineers will pre-assemble and test all components off site whenever possible so that the system can be brought into action in the minimum time. It adds up to one complete solution and one responsible supplier."
SAV LoadTracker will supply systems based around energy derived from custom selected resources including small scale CHP plants, heat pumps and instantaneous hot water modules linked to high efficiency thermal stores.
Other techniques will be integrated as required - from underfloor heating and variable speed pumps to energy meters and differential pressure control valves.
The advent of LoadTracker's collective approach to green design makes it practical to use mini-CHP machines in a new range of applications including schools, nursing homes and apartment blocks.
In turn the use of CHP will bring cost savings by using relatively low cost gas rather than high cost grid supply as the source of electrical energy for lighting and power. SAV LoadTracker Centres will meet 80/90% of the building’s total heating and electrical demand with only a small contribution required from the grid.
Potential savings in energy and cash are considerable and SAV Watchman services will be available to monitor and modulate the system to extract the maximum benefit.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is a cornerstone of SAV LoadTracker's combined services approach to energy supply.
Cinderella
Until now CHP has been the Cinderella of Britain's low carbon drive - much discussed but seldom applied. Finding applications with matching heating and electrical loads is not easy – there aren’t enough swimming pools!
That's all about to change. SAV LoadTracker systems integrate small scale CHP engines with heat pumps, thermal stores (and condensing boilers where required) into modular carbon and cost reducing packages.
SAV LoadTracker will utilise EC Energy’s XRGl 15 CHP unit in multiples. This rugged machine, with its ultra-reliable Toyota gas-fired engine, has a total efficiency of up to 92%. It can provide 6-15.2 kW electricity and 17-30 Kw heating. And there’s no need to export spare electricity to the grid – there is no spare electricity!
Developed in Denmark - the world's largest user of CHP technology - the XRGl 15 offers a number of distinct advantages that make a perfect synergy with LoadTracker technology:
- Electricity generation matches load – a unique modulating system ensures that the electricity generated never exceeds demand. No need to over-size the CHP plant relative to a maximum anticipated electrical demand; no need to dump waste heat during periods when the heat demand is low.
- Heat can be stored until it’s needed. This ensures the CHP unit can be run at maximum efficiency. All the energy generated will be used.
- Integration with heat pump technology benefits overall performance. Heat pumps run on electricity, providing a constant electrical demand for the CHP, even at periods when electrical demand is low.
SAV CHP Design Guide
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Please click on the thumbnail to the left to download your copy of the SAV CHP Design Guide.
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Making the most of heat pump technology
SAV LoadTracker Packaged Energy Centres use all the potential of heat pumps in synergy with CHP (and other heat sources where required). As a contributor rather than as a sole provider the heat pump truly comes into its own.
One, or more, heat pumps can be connected into the return from the LoadTracker system. The return temperature must be less than 48°C in order for the heat pump to provide useful heat. Water is heated by the heat pump to around 57°C.
Maximum performance from a heat pump can best be achieved with flow and return temperatures of 70°C flow and 40°C return – making them a perfect partner for SAV Aquacon Modules which distribute hot water on demand to underfloor heating systems, radiators and domestic services.
Working in close liaison with our partners in Germany SAV will be able to draw on a fully family of heat pumps. Combined with our small-scale CHP units they will be used to create modular, expandable LoadTracker packaged energy centres that provide both heating and electrical power in a solution that’s low cost and low carbon.
Maximum performance from a heat pump can best be achieved with flow and return temperatures of 70°C flow and 40°C return – making them a perfect partner for SAV Aquacon Modules
Energy Watch - Energy Match
SAV's new Watchman service constantly monitors the performance of all the technologies combined in each SAV LoadTracker Packaged Energy Centre to ensure systems work at peak efficiency.
Designed to meet all Automatic Monitoring and Targeting (aM&T) requirements, SAV Watchman provides a 24/7 sentinel - reducing consumption by continuously monitoring performance against target. Weather compensation, flow and return water temperatures are key Watchman focus points.
It works in harmony with the energy management system which is an integral feature of SAV’s CHP technology. This constantly modulates between 6 and 15kW per CHP unit to ensure the electricity generated never exceeds demand.
SAV Watchman is inexpensive, and inclusion of aM&T services will give the building a better energy rating under the new Part L legislation.
Watchman operates rather like a fly-by-wire aircraft - ensuring that flow temperatures, circulation through the building and return temperatures are continuously trimmed for optimum performance of the SAV LoadTracker Centre.
Watchman data is collated into a monthly report, which compares actual consumption against budget - adjusted to take fluctuations in annual weather patterns into consideration.
