District heating for Ulm University

With a heat delivery of 115 million kWh per year, Ulm University is the largest customer of Ulm’s heat supply company FUG. With the new agreement, the base load supply of 36,000 kW is extended to full supply of Oberer Eselsberg with 45,000 kW. The university operates a central utilities plant facility at Oberer Eselsberg and from there, it delivers the district heating and cooling to the individual loads. In addition to the university hospital and the Bundeswehr military hospital, the science city on Oberer Eselsberg includes the university, institute of technology, Daimler research centre, Science Park I and II and the affiliated Institutes jointly funded by the federal state and business.

Renewal of the main pipe to Oberer Eselsberg will require new investments by the heat supply company and thus adjustment of the district heat price. Following the study, the supply was negotiated between the parties to the contract in 2016 and 2017. Through the conduct of the negotiations and investment participation of the partners, clear savings were achieved for the heat customers.

The supply now selected guarantees an ecological solution and uses the generation plant in Ulm with a very low primary energy factor. As a result, no additional fossil energy sources are consumed and with this solution substantial risks for the university in the form of investments in its own generation plants are now a thing of the past. Within the scope of the study and the contract negotiations, risks such as EEG reallocation charge exemption, change in fossil energy source prices, investment risk with change in construction costs and high responsibility for the operation of complex generation plants were included in the assessment for the alternative gas turbine solution. Ultimately, supply from the ecological power plants of FUG in Ulm takes into account the energy and climate protection targets of the Baden-Württemberg state government and the City of Ulm.