The recently built Thurau Nord motorway service station is distinguished by a stringent sustainability concept. State-of-the-art building technology that complies with the Minergie-A standard for low-energy-consumption buildings; a photovoltaic system that generates 800,000 kWh of electricity a year; a biowaste facility and a restaurant area with a warm atmosphere that promises a pleasant stay.
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OKPeak load management for a catering business
Preventing peak loads in large kitchens
In its restaurant, the service area offers regional and seasonal dishes, and in the preparation of these dishes, electricity consumption and costs also play a role. To reduce these, we installed a fully automatic peak load management system. Our turnkey solution was tailored to the needs of the motorway service station’s catering operations. This meant taking into account all operational processes and analysing the load profile data. Thanks to the specialist installation, all heat-generating appliances such as the pizza oven, pasta cooker, steamer, the dishwasher’s tank heater or the heat pump can now be incrementally controlled by the EnergyController. The peak load management system continuously monitors the power consumption at the main meter and reduces the loads according to priority and intensity of the loads. The system is connected to the internal data network, which means that the facility operator can even make fine adjustments at the click of a mouse on their own PC. Peter Hofstetter, CEO of the Thurau Group says: “A peak load optimisation system is a must for a modern catering operation. Only a professional system can consistently implement the desired efficiency measures and help achieve cost-saving effects. We plan to install such systems in more of our restaurants.”
Why reduce peak loads and how?
Load peaks are short-term, high power demands in the electricity grid. Since distribution grid operators charge a grid usage fee based on the highest power drawn, costs increase dependent on the load a consumer places on the grid. In order to systematically reduce such load peaks and the associated costs over the long term, Alpiq offers a peak load optimisation system. For this, we analyse the power data and determine the savings potential as well as the appliances and processes that can be used to optimise peak loads. Once the optimal integration of the relevant appliances into the peak load optimisation system has been determined, the installation takes place. The EnergyController is connected to the main electricity meter and the appropriate control lines are routed to the appliances. The system continuously calculates the power trend over a 15-minute period and regulates the integrated appliances as required in order to keep the load curve at a consistently low level. Charging stations for electric cars can also be integrated. The operator can independently adjust the settings, the switching priorities and the switching times, and make operational changes to the system. All the measures we take help to sustainably reduce costs and increase efficiency.