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Construction of a trigeneration system for ZF CV Systems Sp. z o.o.

More than a year ago, we completed the expansion of the Technical Product Development Center II at the ZF CV Systems Sp. z o.o. at ul. Ostrowski in Wrocław (until May 2020 WABCO Sp.z o.o.), and today we can inform you about another project that we are implementing at this site, i.e. the construction of a trigeneration system for the plant.


The Green Deal, or why is it so important?




photo: Pixabay



The project is of particular importance due to the technology used, which translates directly into lower exhaust emissions and economic energy management. Today, "green investments" is not only a fashion, but a necessity. The effects of climate change are being felt around the world - extreme weather events, rising sea levels, ocean acidification and loss of biodiversity are just some of the signs of the devastation of environmental resources. Climate change and environmental degradation pose a threat that Europe and the world must face.


In April 2016, the so-called the Paris Agreement, the first universal and legally binding global climate agreement, laying down rules for climate protection after 2020. The agreement has been signed by 195 countries around the world, and the EU has ratified its provisions. The main long-term goal defined in the agreement is to limit the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The signatories undertook to implement it, inter alia, by rapidly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.


To meet these challenges, the EU has developed a new growth strategy aimed at transforming the Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The so-called The European Green Deal is an action plan for a sustainable EU economy that wants to become a climate neutral continent in 2050, including achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions.


ZF to zero already in 2040




Mat. Investor


The principles of sustainable development are firmly embedded in ZF's strategy. ZF is a global technology concern that provides solutions for passenger cars, commercial cars and industry, thus supporting the development of next-generation mobility. The company's goal is to create greener transport solutions and to implement the vision of autonomous and safe driving. ZF technology enables vehicles to see, think and act ("see. Think. Act"). The company offers comprehensive solutions in four technological areas: vehicle traffic control, integrated safety, automated driving and electromobility. Thanks to its products, the company contributes to the reduction of pollutant emissions and climate protection.


ZF's activities for sustainable development focus on four areas: products, production process, employees and the supply chain. - Our ambitious goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 - ten years earlier than planned under the Paris Agreement - emphasized in March 2021 at the annual ZF press conference, President Wolf Henning Scheider. - We want, among other things, to systematically reduce our CO2 emissions throughout our supply chain - he added.


Trigeneration, which means more is less




Trigeneration - principle of operation (diagram)



The decision to change the current method of supplying the plant at ul. Ostrowski in Wrocław, electricity, heat and cooling energy for environmentally friendly technology is in line with the goal set by the Management Board of ZF. After analyzing the various options, the choice fell on trigeneration.


Trigeneration is a type of installation that enables the simultaneous production of electricity, heat and cooling. The technology helps to reduce fuel consumption for energy production, and at the same time allows you to get more of it. It is based on a special system that works thanks to a natural gas engine. This solution allows for the optimal use of resources, lowering the operating costs of buildings and contributes to the reduction of primary energy consumption and a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. And these activities, in turn, have a major impact on the reduction of unfavorable factors to which the natural environment is exposed. So it is also one

with smog fighting tools.


Investment at Str. Ostrowskiego in Wrocław


The purpose of the project that we are implementing at the plant at ul. Ostrowski is the design, delivery, assembly and commissioning of a complete trigeneration installation intended for continuous operation for the production of heat, cooling and electricity. The project also assumes the integration of the newly created system with the existing technical infrastructure. The heart of the designed trigeneration system will be a single-storey building with an area of ​​180 sq m, which will be 6.84 m high in the highest place. Its rooms will house key technical devices such as an engine, generator or transformer. A cooling tower has also been designed in the building.


The investment is carried out in the "design and build" formula, and its contractor is CAGEN sp. Z o.o. from Luboń, selected in a tender conducted for the Investor by Miastoprojekt Wrocław, who performs the function of the Contract Engineer on the investment and performs substantive supervision as part of the entrusted tasks, runs the project schedule and budget, and supervises the proper implementation of the task.


Currently, the design stage is underway and it has been

a submitted application for a building permit. Handover of the construction site

planned for June and final acceptance in November 2021.


Pure profit, i.e. support from EU funds


Investments in pro-ecological solutions are not the cheapest, therefore the EU, in order to encourage entrepreneurs to take such actions, offers various possibilities of co-financing this type of projects. The investor, ZF CV Systems Poland Sp. Z oo, also decided to take such a step. z o.o., on behalf of which Miastoprojekt Wrocław obtained funding for the construction of a trigeneration system. The source of the subsidy is the program of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. According to the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, in this edition 41 projects received PLN 304 million of support for the development of high-efficiency cogeneration.


The total cost of the projects is almost PLN 816 million. The concluded contracts will result in the reduction of primary energy consumption by almost 3 million GJ / year and the estimated annual decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by over 740 thousand. tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

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