< img src="https://www.tu-dortmund.de/storages/tu_website/_processed_/a/8/csm_pelletheizung-tu-dortmund-1_Ausschnitt_BLB-NRW_702de9d7cd.jpg" alt ="" > A 150‑tonne crane hoisted the steel colossus into the brand-new extension of the building on 10 February. The extension had actually been built specifically for this function by the Bau und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW (BLB NRW, Structure and Realty Management North Rhine-Westphalia) at the heating plant on Emil‑Figge‑Straße 71. At a later phase, two 13‑metre‑high silos for the pellets that feed the boiler will be delivered, as well as a likewise sized heat tank to pre‑produce heat overnight for daytime operation. The licensed wood pellets consist of dried, unattended sawmill residues, primarily sawdust and wood shavings.
With a combustion heat output of 2 MW, the new wood pellet system can cover a significant share of the campus’s base load for heating and hot water. On one third of the days in a year, this capacity suffices to meet total demand; on colder days, additional heating is needed. For this purpose, TU Dortmund University operates three gas boilers that traditionally offer heat from gas, as well as 3 combined heat and power systems that generate heat and electrical energy highly efficiently from gas. Compared to standard gas combustion, the new pellet firing system considerably improves the balance worths for CO two emissions and primary energy usage, making it possible for 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 prepared for late summer so that it will be prepared for the brand-new heating season in fall 2026.
Electricity from photovoltaics and wind power
The new wood pellet system is the first step towards making higher use of eco-friendly sources and producing energy sustainably. In addition, a ground‑mounted photovoltaic system is arranged 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 5 percent of the university’s own electricity need. When more electrical energy is created than consumed at times, a battery storage system can take in the surplus energy. After archaeological preliminary investigations on the 14,000 square‑metre open area were finished and small finds secured, building of the system can start in the summer.
Preparatory planning has actually also started with BLB NRW and a prospective operator for the building of a wind turbine on a field at School South. A wind turbine around 110 meters high– from ground to hub– might produce an estimated 10,000 MWh each year and hence in theory conceal to 25 percent of TU Dortmund University’s own electrical energy need.