Hermes Fulfilment, the e-commerce unit of the Hermes Group, has started operating a new, state-of-the-art block heating station at its major logistics facility in Haldensleben, Germany, to generate a substantial part of its energy needs on its own in the future with the aim to save €300,000 in energy costs per year.
Driven by natural gas, the cogeneration unit is expected to provide up to 20% of the electricity needed and cover about 30% of the heat demand at the facility. The plant is an important part of the ‘Climate Protection’ master plan within the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.
The block heating station weighs around eleven tons and is based on the principle of power-heat cogeneration. Compared to the separate production of electricity and heat, the advantage is the significantly better utilisation of primary energy.
“We use the waste heat arising during the electricity generation for building heating and water heating,” Michael Schekatz, Head of Product Engineering at Hermes Fulfilment in Haldensleben, explained. “This way, around 86% of primary energy deployed can be utilised.” In systems without the use of waste heat, the effectiveness is below 50% in some cases.
The combined heat and power plant is supposed to run 5,000 hours per year. Both the electricity generated and the arising heat will be fully consumed at the logistics centre. This has a direct impact not only on energy efficiency but also on the ecological balance of the location: "With the new plant, we will save around €300,000 in energy costs per year. At the same time, we reduce the CO2 emissions by 1,200 tons annually," Schekatz calculated.
"The increased use of renewable energies and the significant reduction of CO2 emissions are part of our goal. As one of the largest employers in Saxony-Anhalt, we also have a responsibility towards the environment and society," added Olaf Wallace, Operations Manager of the logistics centre in Haldensleben.
As part of its climate protection programme, Hermes aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2006/07. The installation of new motors on the 30 km-long conveyor system also contributes to this as they consume 25% less energy.
