Production waste heat supplies new housing estate

In the market town of Meitingen, the SGL Carbon Group operates a historically grown production facility, in which carbon is used to produce all kinds of different products, from graphite heat exchangers to carbon fibres, in high-temperature processes. The waste heat produced is largely used in-house. However, due to the processes used, part of the waste heat produced is at very low temperatures within the range between 20 and 40°C. Until now, this so-called low-calorie waste heat has been discharged unused into the environment via cooling water. In future, several detached houses and multi-dwelling buildings will benefit from the waste heat produced by SGL.

Market town of Meitingen is an investor in the heat network and partner of the heat customers. bifa is responsible for the project management on behalf of the market town of Meitingen. The first buildings are currently being built. The heat network is in the design phase, the designers being Ratioplan from Dollnstein in the Altmühltal, and will be built after the summer break. The first houses in the new housing estate in Meitingen are scheduled to be supplied with SGL heat from the end of this year.

Until now, supplying private households with waste heat from industrial production has often failed due to the difficult different needs. The project being implemented here can be used as a blueprint for further waste heat uses.