Thus, thermal generation is carried out in thermal power plants that serve entire communities, whose size can vary from a group of buildings to entire neighborhoods and towns.
The performance of these systems is estimated to be 10% higher than that of centralized systems per building and 30-40% higher than that of individual systems.
These thermal power plants can use many different technologies such as:
Conventional boilers based on the combustion of fossil fuels or biomass. Cogeneration plants that jointly generate electricity and thermal energy by taking advantage of the surplus energy from the electricity generation process. Solar thermal power plants that take advantage of solar energy. Geothermal power plants that take advantage of the energy of the land.
The heat (or cold) generated is distributed to the points of consumption through a network of distribution pipes, usually buried and thermally insulated to avoid heat losses, there are also systems with open tubes. There is a one-way and a return circuit.
Distribution pipes
The material of the pipes is usually copper, stainless steel or carbon steel, while the heat transfer fluid is usually water in liquid or vapor state.
In buildings demanding thermal energy, a series of thermal substations must be arranged in which the heat interchange between the primary heat transfer fluid and the transfer fluid to the terminal points of consumption is carried out. These substations are also responsible for accounting for the energy consumed.
One of the best-known cases is the New York City steam system, currently operated by Consolidated Edison and which brings steam to heat or cool environments to more than 1 million customers.
In Spain there are several examples of slum heating; specifically in Madrid, Colonia de la Esperanza (approx. 3200 floors of about 110 m² on average), Barrio Altamira or Meseta de Orcasitas. It also highlights the thermal power plant of the university city, the work of the architect Manuel Sánchez Arcas and the engineer Eduardo Torroja, who was awarded the National Architecture Prize in 1932. This center serves many faculties of the Complutense University of Madrid.
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