Following the rising number of common CHP projects, the cooperation with our Irish partner PSE Power Systems started with an industrial CHP project in 2010 is being extended: In November 2011, PSE becomes the exclusive SOKRATHERM partner in Ireland. Additionally, UK customers can obtain the compact cogeneration units from PSE.

"With PSE, there was good chemistry right from the start. Their technical know-how and direct, open-minded communication is very helpful in the implementation of current CHP projects and we're looking forward to work even closer with PSE in the future." comments press speaker Wilhelm Meinhold.

Nordhausen plant enlarged again

Due to the further risen demand we enlarge our plant in Nordhausen again. The capacities created there in the enlargement 2008 - back then, the production and office area was doubled to ca. 2.500 m²- are fully used. In contrast to 2008, when existing building structures could be refurbished for our production needs, this time a whole new production hall of 900 m² is built. The production of the CHP units fully is continued during the construction.

The decision to enlarge again fell in late 2010 when the numbers showed that 2010 would become record year with more than 100 CHP units sold for the first time in company history and demand was likely to rise further. With the new energy policy in Germany demanding a reconstruction of the energy supply, the demand for cogeneration units has risen even further - also due to their ability to balance the strongly fluctuating solar and wind energy.

1.000 th CHP unit ordered

In August 2011, we received the order for the thousandth CHP unit. It will be installed in the Herford hospital in late 2011 and have an electric power of 237 kW ahd heating power of von 372 kW.

„This CHP project located very close to our head office makes us especially happy sice we have worked very long towards this prime example for the application of highly efficient cogeneration. Together with two CHP units we're currently installing in the Herford sewage plant we'll have impressive reference units very close to us in which we can also demonstrate our new, internet based CHP control in the rough real life conditons. This iPC control is already fit for the application in virtual power plants" comments press speaker Wilhelm Meinhold.

Shortly before its exhibition at the Hannover Messe 2009, SOKRATHERM has received the largest order of its over 30 years long company history.

Three cogeneration units of ca. 200, 400 and 600 kilowatts of electric power and in total 1.500 kW thermal power will be installed in the district office Minden, the Kampa Hall Minden and a hospital in Bad Oeynhausen. They will start their highly efficient production of heat and power by the end of 2009. With the CHP (Combined Heat and Power) unit in Bad Oeynhausen, SOKRATHERM enters the power class above 500 kW(el).

A special feature of this project is the combination of classic cogeneration and renewable energies in the fuel supply: The district of Minden-Luebbecke refines the biogas created on its compost works to natural gas quality and feeds it into the gas network. The CHP units virtually use exactly this refined biogas to turn it into heat and power with a total efficiency of up to 90 %. With the legal framework improved in 2009, the cogeneration project is an especially reasonable investment from an economic and ecologic view.

"I'm especially pleased to see that after the recent large orders from Sachsen-Anhalt, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Siberia the largest one now comes from our region Ostwestfalen and will have the CHP units installed less than 30 km away from my desk" remarks CEO Hermann Meinhold.

SOKRATHERM market leader of the 100 kW natural gas CHP unit class

The energy journal Energie&Management and the research organization Öko-Institut e.V. have studied the market for CHP units in 2006 and published the results in October 2008 im to a limited circle. Other than the results published in the magazine in late 2007, this research divides the market not only by fuel types, but also by power classes.

The results show that the clear focus strategy on compact CHP units with 40 to 400 kW electric power pays off: In its classic power range of 51 to 150 kW(el), the SOKRATHERM was the clear market leader of natural gas CHP units with a market share of 33%. In the power range 151 to 500 kW(el) of natural gas CHP units which SOKRATHERM had entered in 1999, the company has seized the second rank with a market share of 22%.

SOKRATHERM's head of sales Joachim Voigt also feels positive about the recent developments: "In 2007 - the year in which we had successfully introduced our GG 402, the CHP unit in which we have transferred our proven compact CHP unit characteristics into the 400 kW class - we have clearly raised our sales compared to 2006. Our goal is for 2008 to defend our leading market position in the 'lower middle class' and to seize the market leadership in the 'upper middle class' up to 500 kW(el).

In 2008, we have already sold in the first ten months more units than in the whole previous year. The focus is especially in our upper power range kW(el), so I'm looking forward to see the next market report."

Cogeneration on the rise:
30 years of SOKRATHERM

Happy faces could be seen at the 30-years celebration of SOKRATHERM: 2007 will be the most successful year of the company's history which started with its first entry in the commercial register on October 28th 1977.

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