TVP Solar and the Geneva utility SIG published the performance results of the SolarCAD II – Solar District Heating Plant after 2 years in operation. The thermal plant has exceeded expectations by delivering 10% over the estimates and the results are key to duplicating the model across Switzerland and beyond.
The TVP flat plate vacuum collectors supplied 100% carbon-free thermal energy at more than 80°C year-round, even in winter, directly injecting the heat into the largest district heating network in the canton, the CAD SIG, to which more than 60,000 households are connected. At the time of its installation, the 800 m² plant was expected to have an injected solar production of more than 0.5 GWh per year.
Outperforming original estimations of the system’s efficiency is not the only positive aspect of the pilot project analysis. Monitoring the project allowed TVP to measure the ease of operation of the system, which thanks to a fully automated and remotely accessible operation, the Solar District Heating plant required little human intervention and no cleaning since its installation.
In addition to solar thermal input, the district heating network benefits from energy derived from an incineration plant, CHP plants, gas boilers, biomass boilers, and geothermal sources.