Customer application
The Trend toward Compact Power Plants

2G Energy AG exploits a number of application areas for cogeneration plants with their g-box. The compact systems are tailored to be profitable small power plants, with an electrical output range from 20 to 50 kW, for use in small hotels, industrial operations, or apartment blocks. The CHP specialists from western Münster have designed the quiet turnkey module for coupling power and heat to be particularly lean. Completely assembled DIN-rails from WAGO are used for the electronics connections.

Two outputs, high thermal efficiency due to condensing boiler technology, and long runtimes with low maintenance expenses: the turnkey g-box is designed as a compact series model for the broader market. As a consequence, the CHP manufacturer 2G considered more than technological details and design tricks during development of the small power plant. Economic production in large numbers ultimately depends on designing a lean and time-saving assembly process. Therefore, 2G uses pre-assembled DIN-rails from WAGO for the electronics in the control cabinets of their CHP series.

Pre-assembled Components – Here’s How WAGO Supports You:

TOPJOB^®S offers virtually limitless combinatorics, marking and integration with other components.
Pre-assembly does more than greatly reduce expenses for warehousing and EDP documentation.
It also reduces risk of failures, resulting in to higher system availability.

Multi-Faceted and Pre-Assembled

Stefan Liesner, Business Development International at 2G, comes right to the point: “By purchasing pre-assembled DIN-rails from WAGO, we save time and warehousing costs.” If his company were to assemble the electronics themselves, “we would have to store each, individually-packaged component.”

To ensure that 2G still has a DIN-rail that exactly matches their requirements, 2G and WAGO collaborated closely to determine which electronic products needed to populate the standard DIN-rails. WAGO TOPJOB^® S Rail-Mount Terminal Blocks are used in particular. Their advantage: The potential solutions provided by the TOPJOB^® S Rail-Mount Terminal Block portfolio are practically unlimited, due to the various combinatorics, marking possibilities and links to other electronic components, like signal conditioners.

By purchasing custom rail assemblies from WAGO, we save time and warehousing costs.

Stefan Liesner, International Business Development at 2G Energy AG

The diversity of components offers 2G the ability to find the optimal configuration for their g-box; however, were 2G to purchase them individually, they would have to stock an extremely high number of individual components, which would include the complete documentation as well as master data management in the ERP system. It is precisely for this reason that 2G decided to source their DIN-rails from WAGO. The pre-assembled DIN-rails are designed so that sufficient space is provided at specifically defined points for additional electronics. These additional components are added, depending on demand, by 2G during installation. “With this solution, we gain the ability to adjust output and functions according to customer preferences,” explains Liesner.

Faster, More Flexible Production

In addition to the fact that the pre-assembly dramatically reduces stocking expenses and EDP documentation, the company from Münster can also react more quickly to sudden surges in demand on the market. If the sector is booming, they can maintain short ordering deadlines. This pays off for 2G, since the WAGO connection electronics can be ordered using a single item number: “WAGO has gotten to know how we work here. If demand peaks, we inform our suppliers quickly,” Design Manager Jörg Schmiemann describes the closely entwined supply chain.

In his view, pre-assembled control cabinet components offer additional advantages: reduced risk of error, thus higher quality and system availability. “To begin with, our customers want to reduce energy costs, and at the lowest possible expense. Because the systems function efficiently, the amortization period for investing in a CHP is rather short,” Schmiemann explains the advantages of the 2G CHP. The systems convert up to 42% of the gas into electrical power due to specialized fine-tuning. “A standard motor achieves 38%.”

2G’s specialty is optimizing this point, explains Schmiemann. “We optimize our systems depending on the different types of gas, because sludge gas, biogas, and natural gas all have different knock limits,” explains Liesner, adding that 2G also develops their own spark plugs and cylinder heads. “We began with an efficiency of 38.7%, and now we are at 42.5%.” While it sounds like a modest increase, the cost savings in gas for this motor class amount to several tens of thousands of euros per year – over the system lifecycle of ten or more years, this can recoup the majority of the total investment.

We set our quality standards quite high. WAGO has already made a lot possible for us.

Jörg Schmiemann, Design Manager at 2G Energy AG

Individual and Reliable Solutions

In order for the power plant operators to be successful, 2G relies exclusively on highly reliable components. “We set our quality standards quite high,” reports Schmiemann, who has consistently reported good experiences with WAGO products. “We have an extended business relationship. During this time, new products are always being developed that we can use. WAGO has made a lot possible for us,” summarizes the electrical engineer.

For example, in relation to approvals: “Because gas prices in the USA are so low and the electrical grid is less reliable, the US is currently our most important foreign market.” To provide the units with a chance on the North American market, WAGO supports all certifications related to the UL safety mark in the USA. WAGO has also been helpful for certification according to the German household appliance standard. “The household appliance standard does not apply to electronics that are used in industry,” concedes Liesner, “however, the compact CHPs in the g-box series are also provided for use in residential buildings.”

Text: Andreas Grabosch | WAGO

Photo: Thorsten Sienk

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Customer application The Trend toward Compact Power Plants