Mainova AG's West Power Plant is the oldest power generation site supplying electricity to the city of Frankfurt. It has been providing the metropolis on the Main River with electricity since the end of the 19th century, and shortly thereafter with heat as well. Students from the THM in Friedberg have witnessed firsthand how it continues to provide valuable input for the future.

Students from the Friedberg Department M (Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Materials Technology) learned firsthand, during operation, why the historic power plant remains a vital component of Frankfurt's district heating network. It has undergone repeated modernizations over the past decades to meet the growing demands of energy supply. Electricity and heat were—and still are—generated primarily through the combustion of hard coal using steam turbines. A gas turbine has also been operating in parallel for many years, enabling the plant to balance rapid load changes in the electricity grid. Currently, the power plant is being equipped with two additional modern, hydrogen-ready gas turbines.

The goal is to completely phase out coal combustion and convert the power plant to gas turbine operation by 2027. While the gas turbines will initially be fueled with natural gas, the overarching goal is to operate them with hydrogen in the foreseeable future. In this way, Mainova AG aims to contribute to climate protection through CO2-free combustion and simultaneously implement the complete phase-out of coal combustion _.

The students specializing in energy and drive technology received a detailed explanation of the power plant's function, thus conveying the theoretical knowledge from their lectures in a clear and practical way. The tour of the machine complex was particularly helpful in this regard. The excursion group was accompanied by Dr. Claudia Weise, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Minkenberg, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roland Dückershoff, and laboratory engineer Steven Pauly from the Friedberg Department M.