The National Theater will modernize their energy center

"This is another project at the National Theater complex that will reduce energy consumption, save costs, and help protect the environment. This time, we are focusing on reducing the consumption of primary non-renewable energy sources, i.e., fossil fuels. The supplier of this EPC (Energy Performance Contracting) project guarantees that the consumption of these energies will fall by 30%. The benefits, of course, also include savings in the theater's operating costs, which have been estimated at CZK 32 million during the first five years of operation," says Prof. Jan Burian, General Director of the National Theater. A fundamental change in the National Theater's energy management will be the start of electricity production for its own use.

It will use two modern gas cogeneration units, which will produce both heat and electricity. These cogeneration units will replace some of the old gas boilers and will also serve as backup sources of electricity in the event of a collapse of the power grid, to which the theater will (of course) remain connected.

"From a technical and implementation perspective, this is a very ambitious project. Our company has been implementing EPC projects for more than 30 years, and we have experience with similar projects even in confined underground spaces, as is the case at the National Theater. I am confident that we will complete the project on schedule and that our work will not in any way affect the comfort of visitors to the National Theatre," says Jörg Lüdorf, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ENETIQA, the company implementing the EPC project.

The cogeneration unit will be installed in place of the existing diesel backup power source from the late 1970s, which has been dismantled. The second major step in the modernization is the replacement of two cooling machines, which use water from the Vltava River to air-condition the interior of the National Theater buildings, with two heat pumps designed for both cooling and heating. The heat pump installed as part of the 2007 EPC project will remain in operation. The new pumps will be able to use heat from river water that is colder than the original one.

"After the modernization, our energy balance will see a slight increase in natural gas consumption, but our consumption of electricity from the grid, which is largely produced in coal-fired power plants, will be significantly reduced. We will use our own electricity to power the historic National Theater building, the New Stage, and both operational buildings. We will also use our own electricity to power heat pumps. If we produce more electricity than we consume, we plan to supply it to our other stages as part of community energy, or possibly supply it to the electricity grid," says Ing. Václav Pelouch, Director of Technical and Operational Management at the National Theatre.

The modernization of the energy center can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% in terms of reducing the consumption of primary energy sources. However, the actual reduction will depend on how the individual technologies are used over time, depending on external and internal conditions. Internal conditions result from the operation of the theater, while external conditions include outdoor temperatures and gas and electricity prices. Given that the two cogeneration units will also serve as backup sources, maximizing electricity production for sharing or sale is not their primary goal. Therefore, only one will be in operation at a time, with both operating simultaneously only during limited periods when heat and electricity consumption peaks or in the event of a crisis, such as a power outage. One cogeneration unit can easily cover the theater's basic electricity consumption, where the instantaneous power consumption does not fall below 0.5 MW throughout the year, and both units together could cover the maximum consumption, where the power consumption reaches 1.2 MW.

The modernization of the National Theater's energy technologies will reduce the maximum heat output (for heating) from approximately 10.5 MW to 8.5 MW, while the cooling output will increase from 2.6 MW to 3 MW. "This new power mix is more in line with the changing heating and cooling requirements resulting from climate change and the needs of the theater. The reduced heat output is still sufficient to keep the theater running normally and ensure the thermal comfort of the audience even under the most adverse climatic conditions," says Ing. Zbyšek Ryvola, project manager at ENETIQA.