RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN OPENCAST MINING
Project location
Cologne / Frechen, Germany
Year of implementation
2024
Application
Energy monitoring, load management, and automation
Hardware
UMG 96-PQ-L, UMG 96-PA-MID+
Software
GridVis® Expert
Service
Consulting, commissioning, and training
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT
The company Quarzwerke extracts high-quality sand in open-cast mining in order to prepare it for the processing industry at the Frechen site. With power peaks of a good 4.5 MW, this is an energy-intensive process. For some years now, the company has been increasingly using renewable energies, including a PV park. To this end, a comprehensive energy monitoring and load management system is currently being developed that is closely linked to the automation. The site is highly automated. Around 40 PLC controllers, the largest with up to 400-500 EAs, ensure smooth operation. Indepth knowledge of the plant control system is therefore essential for the transition to climate-neutral operation.
SOLUTION
Quarzwerke benefited from Janitza‘s expansion of its portfolio to include industrial automation in order to offer even better service in its project business. This allows the data obtained from the measurement technology to be fed back into the control system without any detours. In addition to load and peak load management, monitoring, and system control, this also enables operating data acquisition, i.e., the correlation of energy data with production data, batch logs, etc. A central element in energy supply is GridVis®, which can also be used to integrate third-party measuring devices. The operators want to make the best possible use of the sometimes considerable yields from the PV park. This is not about selling energy, but about energy-optimized operation. The aim is to achieve a self-consumption rate of around 75% during the week. GridVis® will also help with this. There are many other options, such as a report editor for analyzing and presenting your own performance data in more detail, a mask for alarms, user management, etc. Special customer requirements can also be implemented. For example, a mask displays the status of the inverters for the PV system and triggers a maintenance alarm if necessary
CUSTOMER BENEFIT
In Frechen, development is progressing in leaps and bounds. Various options such as battery storage, additional PV systems and wind power are being discussed. Initial tests are even underway to convert the truck fleet for intralogistics to e-drives. Charging posts are already in place and equipped with load management and energy management controllers from Janitza. All locations are gradually being converted to renewable energies. With GridVis® and Janitza hardware, Quarzwerke has a system that can be used and evaluated across all plants. All sites can then benefit from the experience gained.
