H. C. Ørsted Power Station
Encyclopedia
H. C. Ørsted Power Station (Danish
: H. C. Ørstedværket) is a natural gas fired combined heat and power station
located at Enghave Brygge in the South Docklands
of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It is owned and operated by Dong Energy
.
It is named after the Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted
, the discoverer of electromagnetism
.
, used direct current
techinology which required a location close to the consumers. The introduction of alternating current
technology made it possible to build larger plants at less central locations and H. C. Ørsted Power Station, designed by Andreas Fussing, was built between 1916 and 1920 on Kalbebod Beach to the south of the city. The location by the sea and close to the South Docklands
provided easy access to cooling water and coal-loading facilities.
On its completion it became the largest power station in Denmark, a position it kept until 1940. It had enough capacity to supply all of the Copenhagen area with lighting, reducing the three existing power stations to back-up systems and transformer stations.
The power station was expanded and adapted in 1924 and again between 1930 and 1932 by Louis Hygom and Valdemar Schmidt. The 1932 expansion saw the installation of a gigantic Burmeister & Wain
diesel engine which held the position as the world's largest diesel engine for about 30 years.
Coal remained the principal source of fuel until 1994 when it was converted into a natural gas
-fired power station.
to district-heating network of Greater Copenhagen. Its capacity is 273 MW el og 1072 MJ/s fjernvarme.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
: H. C. Ørstedværket) is a natural gas fired combined heat and power station
Cogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
located at Enghave Brygge in the South Docklands
Kongens Enghave
Kongens Enghave , also known as Sydhavnen , is a district in southern Copenhagen. The area has historically been one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Copenhagen, dissected by major transport corridors and characterized by social problems as well as industry along the harbour-front.Since the turn...
of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is owned and operated by Dong Energy
DONG Energy
-History:The Danish state company Dansk Naturgas A/S was founded in 1972 to manage resources in the Danish sector of the North Sea. After some years, the company was renamed to Dansk Olie og Naturgas A/S . At the beginning of 2000s, DONG started to extend itself into the electricity market by...
.
It is named after the Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted
Hans Christian Ørsted
Hans Christian Ørsted was a Danish physicist and chemist who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, an important aspect of electromagnetism...
, the discoverer of electromagnetism
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
.
History
Copenhagen's first three power stations, Gothersgade Power Station from 1892 and the Western and Easter Power Stations from 1898 and 1901, all operated by Copenhagen Lighting CompanyKøbenhavns Belysningsvæsen
Københavns Belysningsvæsen was a municipally owned company which supplied Copenhagen Tårnby and Dragør municipalities with first gas and later electricity and distant heating until 2001 when it was merged with Københavns Vand to from Københavns Energi, a name it had already operated under since...
, used direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
techinology which required a location close to the consumers. The introduction of alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
technology made it possible to build larger plants at less central locations and H. C. Ørsted Power Station, designed by Andreas Fussing, was built between 1916 and 1920 on Kalbebod Beach to the south of the city. The location by the sea and close to the South Docklands
Kongens Enghave
Kongens Enghave , also known as Sydhavnen , is a district in southern Copenhagen. The area has historically been one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Copenhagen, dissected by major transport corridors and characterized by social problems as well as industry along the harbour-front.Since the turn...
provided easy access to cooling water and coal-loading facilities.
On its completion it became the largest power station in Denmark, a position it kept until 1940. It had enough capacity to supply all of the Copenhagen area with lighting, reducing the three existing power stations to back-up systems and transformer stations.
The power station was expanded and adapted in 1924 and again between 1930 and 1932 by Louis Hygom and Valdemar Schmidt. The 1932 expansion saw the installation of a gigantic Burmeister & Wain
Burmeister & Wain
Burmeister & Wain was a large established Danish shipyard and leading diesel engine producer headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded by two Danes and an Englishman, its earliest roots stretch back to 1846. Over its 150-year history, it grew successfully into a strong company through the end...
diesel engine which held the position as the world's largest diesel engine for about 30 years.
Coal remained the principal source of fuel until 1994 when it was converted into a natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
-fired power station.
Architecture
The building is red-washed with tall slender windows and blue chimneys. It has been designated as one of 25 Danish Industrial Heritage Site by the Danish Heritage Agency.H. C. Ørsted Power Station today
Today the primary task of the power station is to supply district heatingDistrict heating
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...
to district-heating network of Greater Copenhagen. Its capacity is 273 MW el og 1072 MJ/s fjernvarme.
External links
- DONG Energy, official website