First HUBER ThermWin® plant for wastewater heat recovery in Winterthur, Switzerland
Wastewater is not waste but a valuable resource: Sustainability is the catchword in this innovative system which ensures heating and cooling of the city’s landmark, the Winterthur WINTOWER.
HUBER ThermWin® process
Wintower, Winterthur
A technically highly innovative system providing sustainability into the future: Due to the sustainable thinking of the building owner, MINERGIE standards are met with the new building insulation and utilisation of the renewable energy source WASTEWATER.
In connection with the restoration of the complete high-rise with 28 storeys and 22,000 m² office space also the existing heating system was examined. The results of these examinations showed an enormous potential for improvement through installation of a modern heating and cooling plant that uses renewable energy recovered from wastewater. The energy required is supplied by heat pumps. The ‘magic formula’ of this heating plant is however the utilisation of wastewater heat rendered possible by the HUBER ThermWin® system. A minimum of 440 kW of energy is extracted from the wastewater of the nearby public sewer at one point, and returned to the sewer when cooling respectively, without the need for extensive and expensive sewer modification. The energy is used to heat and cool about 22,000 m² office space in combination with the heat pump. Significant savings in fossil fuels and according reduction of CO2 emissions are achieved.
The oil film spreading in the Gulf of Mexico is one of ever riskier undertakings to exploit even the last oil reserves on our planet. This fact and the limited capacity of our atmosphere to take up CO2 make it necessary to uncouple our power and heat supply from these greenhouse gas emissions. In order to be successful in achieving the goal of 80% CO2 emission reduction by 2050, especially innovations like this project are of enormous importance. This plant, which ensures the supply for 22,000 m² office space, has a symbolic aspect and will hopefully lead to many follow-up projects, for about 4% of the Swiss energy demand could be covered through wastewater heat recovery.
Picatech Huber AG takes it as both an incentive and obligation to do its utmost to push all the other wastewater ThermWin® heat recovery projects that are currently in the planning phase in Switzerland.
Bruno Hils
Managing Director
