Narrative
A modern energy source replaced the original heating plant in Planá nad Lužnicí. The unique technology enables the production of electricity and heat with high efficiency and is complemented by a solar power plant and a 4 MW battery. The resulting ecological solution has significantly improved the air quality in the surrounding area. Harmful emissions have been reduced by up to 90%. In addition, the source replaces traditional coal-fired power plants, which are significant producers of air emissions, in providing power balance services. The technology includes a total of six CHP units from Rolls-Royce. Two 11.5 MWe units were installed earlier this year, the first-ever installation of the brand's latest and largest gas engine. The installed gas CHP units are by far the most significant energy source of this type in the Czech Republic in terms of their capacity and number. The cogeneration units are complemented by a 4 MW and 2.5 MWh capacity battery electricity storage and a photovoltaic power plant. Thanks to this, the energy source in Plana also serves as a facility for the provision of power balance services - i.e., maintaining harmony between the production and consumption of electricity in the Czech Republic.
Financial data
The reconstruction was carried out in several stages. The installation of renewable energy sources in the form of photovoltaic panels in combination with the introduction of storage technology for the electricity produced received CZK 30 000 000 CZK (EUR 1 231 128) from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). In the next stage, expansion of the central heat supply system and replacement of existing local sources were done. For this, the project received an additional CZK 15 980 034 (EUR 655 717) from the ERDF.
Recommendations
The technology includes the largest battery for storing electricity in the Czech Republic at the time of its creation. This project can serve as a positive example for other CEE countries as well. Besides the resources from the Multiannual financial framework and Next Generation EU, there are also opportunities from the Modernisation fund, where one of the subprogrammes directly focuses on the modernisation of heat sources and distribution systems. Up until now most of the funding has gone to gas infrastructure. We, therefore, encourage the government to increase the support for these innovative solutions at the expense of gas projects.
