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[Translate to English:] © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
New Wood Pellet System

An Important Step on the Path Toward Sustainable Heat Generation

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Photo: A large technical component is being lifted by a crane through an opening in a concrete building. © BLB NRW
The components of the enormous boiler were lifted into the heating plant at Emil-Figge-Straße 71 using a crane, where they will contribute to sustainable heat generation in the future.
TU Dortmund University aims to produce more of its own electricity and heat from renewable energy sources in the future. As the first of three planned measures, a new pellet boiler weighing 33 tons was delivered in mid February. By the start of the next heating season at the latest, it is expected to provide up to two megawatts of combustion heat output. Only wood residues from industry will be used as fuel.

A 150‑tonne crane hoisted the steel colossus into the new extension of the building on 10 February. The extension had been constructed specifically for this purpose by the Bau‑ und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW (BLB NRW, Building and Real Estate Management North Rhine-Westphalia) at the heating plant on Emil‑Figge‑Straße 71. At a later stage, two 13‑metre‑high silos for the pellets that feed the boiler will be delivered, as well as a similarly sized heat storage tank to pre‑produce heat overnight for daytime operation. The certified wood pellets consist of dried, untreated sawmill residues, primarily sawdust and wood shavings.

With a combustion heat output of 2 MW, the new wood pellet system can cover a substantial share of the campus’s base load for heating and hot water. On one third of the days in a year, this capacity is sufficient to meet total demand; on colder days, additional heating is required. For this purpose, TU Dortmund University operates three gas boilers that conventionally provide heat from natural gas, as well as three combined heat and power units that generate heat and electricity highly efficiently from natural gas. Compared with conventional gas combustion, the new pellet firing system significantly improves the balance values for CO₂ emissions and primary energy use, enabling the university to meet the target values of the Gebäudeenergiegesetz (GEG, Building Energy Act) for new buildings in the future. Commissioning of the new system is planned for late summer so that it will be ready for the new heating season in autumn 2026.

Electricity from photovoltaics and wind power

The new wood pellet system is the first step toward making greater use of renewable sources and generating energy sustainably. In addition, a ground‑mounted photovoltaic system is scheduled to be built in 2026 on Emil‑Figge‑Straße next to the Research Center for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission. With an output of around 1.65 MWp, it will cover about five percent of the university’s own electricity demand. When more electricity is generated than consumed at times, a battery storage system can absorb the surplus energy. After archaeological preliminary investigations on the 14,000‑square‑metre open area were completed and minor finds secured, construction of the system can begin in the summer.

Preparatory planning has also begun with BLB NRW and a potential operator for the construction of a wind turbine on a field at Campus South. A wind turbine approximately 110 meters high – from ground to hub – could generate an estimated 10,000 MWh per year and thus theoretically cover up to 25 percent of TU Dortmund University’s own electricity demand.

How TU Dortmund University saves energy

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