In Europe for instance, the electricity is
today a commodity that is being distributed and traded
throughout the
market, independing on the location and type of power plant
where it is produced.
Depending on how the sun shines, the winds blow and water flows,
you get electricity at corresponding prices, and these have
actually dropped significantly during the last few years.
So this environmental type of electricity is developing rapidly
in Europe.
That gives 3 important advantages for the consumers :
1) The environmental argument off course. We are both
consumers, and inhabitants / creatures of mother Earth.
Sustainability is a key word for most people.
2) Competition on producing and distribution of electricity has
become very tough. It means that prices are often very low and
sometimes you even get the electricity for free !
3) This environmental type of electricity is produced locally.
You are less dependent on the attitude/mood of different oil and
gas suppliers, fatal political pressure and blood money.
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All this gives a huge advantage
for all kind of electrical consumption including
electric process heating.
A new era has begun - also for steam boilers. Today
electric steam boilers are often preferred over steam
boilers fired with different kind of fossil fuel.
Nevertheless there are still huge challenges, and they
are mainly related to rapid inceasing demand for
electricity. The network needs to be developed
significantly. Today it is absolutely insufficient in
general. Often it is impossible to have the same steam
capacity by electricity as you get using an gas-fired
boiler. 1.500 kg/h of steam is a small gas-fired steam
boiler, but electrically heated it means for instance an
electrical installation of 2.000 A @ 3 x 400V.
Therefore we are now in a phase where we see
combinations of both an electric boiler and an oil/gas-fired boiler installed next to each other. The electric boiler
often
operates for instance when the prices and the demand is
low.
In this perspective modular electric steam boiler
solution are being introduced on the market for the
above hybrid solution.
More concrete litterature avaiable here :
Detailed Technical Data (AB&CO Heaters & Boilers) |