In the last few years the various aspects of how to save energy and preserve the natural environment have made an ever-increasing impact on our thinking.
This reorientation has brought a new focus where generation and usage of heat is concerned. Today heat not only has to be cheap and safe - in the process of generating heat it is of equal importance how one can save energy and preserve the natural environment. In a city like Berlin these general demands take on a very special meaning. This is why BEWAG, the city's utility company, intends to proceed in the following way: expanding the District Heating System as it has been done for many years in accordance with the energy policies of the Berlin Senate.
Heat generation that is at once economical and ecological - this is our goal. The perfect solution is District Heating from co-generation. In other words we are talking about the simultaneous generation of both electric power and heat in a heat and power station. Every bit of fuel used here yields about twice the amount of energy that one would get from a condensation power station producing only electric power.
District Heating from co-generation - that is advanced technology for the modern city. For this technical process is economical and safe and at the same time noticably decreases pollution. If the BEWAG District Heating System didn't exist, large additional quantities of fossil fuels would have to be burnt - approximately 300,000 tons of light fuel oil a year. To illustrate this sum: this equals the transport capacity of 10,000 tankers at 30 tons each - lined up one behind the other, these trucks would form a chain stretching all the way from Berlin to Braunshweig.
In the long run District Heating spells gains for every one of us. Also for those who don't use it...yet.