CTP, the largest industrial developer in Central and Eastern Europe, has launched the CTPark Island "Off grid 2025" initiative. The aim is to convert the largest parks in the portfolio into so-called "island systems" that will not need to be connected to the electricity grid. With the use of green hydrogen, parks designed in this way will not only be energy neutral, but even positive - that is, they can offer their potential, for example, to the surrounding electricity grid or other CTP properties.
CTP will reach carbon neutrality already during this year, which is two years earlier than originally expected by the developer. This was achieved thanks to intensive systematic building of offset opportunities and reduction of consumption. "One of the most natural ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and prevent their emissions is to expand and build renewable energy sources. In case of industrial buildings that CTP builds and operates, the most suitable way for us is to use roofs and install them with solar panels," described Martin Vaidiš, who is responsible for sustainable construction design at CTP.
"Just" solar panels are not enough
The area of all CTP roofs is approximately seven million square meters. The potential of production capacity exceeds 630 MWp. Analysis commissioned by CTP shows that the annual balance of energy produced from sources in parks with predominant logistical use far exceeds the annual consumption of electricity supplied at a given location from the distribution system. "The conclusions therefore show that our parks as a whole can actually produce even more energy on their own than they need for themselves. However, this would be a partial simplification, as certain technical limitations must be taken into account, which is why we are coming up with the idea of an island system that will not only contain soft, unstable production resources and will not rely, for example, on limited availability of virtual battery storage in the distribution system,“ Vaidish explained.
When looking for a solution for a self-sufficient industrial park, CTP ruled out the need to install a large-capacity battery storage facility, as it would not only be a very costly solution for acquisition and operation but would also be a permanent burden on the environment. Island systems will therefore work using so-called green hydrogen.
Energy not only for "us" but also for others
Two primary sources are needed for the sustainable production of green hydrogen - water and electricity produced from renewable sources. According to the mentioned analyzes, CTP has a sufficient number of flat roofs for the corresponding photovoltaic output, as well as rainwater - there is no need to use groundwater or even drinking water. There will also be no need for a complete reconstruction of the infrastructure, as parks in the CTP portfolio now commonly use large retention tanks.
Table - The amount of green hydrogen that CTP is able to produce from retained rainwater in the model park
"We're not just trying to lock down energy in the park. We want it to reach its full potential and help the surrounding infrastructure and community. According to our preliminary calculations, a large park can offer the service of a flexibility aggregator for the surrounding electricity network or other smaller CTP parks, where it does not make sense to build such a technologically complex system. Already today, we see the potential in larger parks in the production of hydrogen with a capacity of 50-300 kg/h of green hydrogen," said Vaidiš, adding that it is possible to balance excess energy through the grid, store it in hydrogen and then supply it back to the local or superior networks.
In addition, the conversion of hydrogen into electricity in turbines generates heat as a side effect from the process of burning gaseous substances, and this is also usable either for the park itself or as a supply for a surrounding town or village. Another indisputable advantage is that hydrogen overproduction can be stored in a relatively conventional way in pressure vessels, thanks to which there are no unnecessary losses - it can therefore be used even when no other renewable energy is available. Hydrogen stored in this way can be supplied for industrial and petrochemical use, or for the propulsion of various types of vehicles. "With a network of CTP parks, which are located along the backbone roads and transport hubs of large or major European cities, we will help to decarbonise freight transport, not only for our clients," concludes Vaidiš.