EoW January 2012

20 / 132

EuroWire – January 2012 18
News
Corporate
Draka, part of the Prysmian Group,
has announced that its Swiss partner
Drahtext AG has completed the initial
phase of a rural community fibre network
combining fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) with
environmental control for the village of
Hünenberg in Zug, Switzerland.
Part of a showcase renewable energy
project, Draka fibre connectivity not
only ensures high speed broadband
services to community residents, it forms
the backbone to supply and control a
substantial part of the energy demands of
Hünenberg. The village biogas plant, one
of the largest plants in Europe, provides
15% of energy requirements. Its gas
turbine, powered by biogas, will provide
the community with nearly 600kW of
energy (300kW of electrical and 300kW of
thermal energy).
“This is an entirely self-financed
renewable energy project in which
fibre interconnectivity plays a key role,”
explained Roland Kurmann, chairman of
Drahtex. “It’s a cooperative venture which
brings community stakeholders together
to invest in a future-orientated energy
approach for the citizens of Hünenberg.”
With 9,000 inhabitants spread over
an area of 18.5km2, Hünenberg has a
high proportion of agricultural activity.
Draka JetNetXS blowing technology
helped deploy the underground fibre
infrastructure running alongside the
biogas distribution network over a total
network length of 4.5km. Despite the
challenge of jetting fibre over distances
up to 5km, the fibre optic network has
been installed rapidly and successfully
and because of the efficiency of the
Draka JetNetXS technique, the network
can be easily expanded to meet future
community energy management
requirements as the output of the plant
expands.
Fibre interconnected, every component
in the biogen heating plant is fully
automated, with remote control
availability from various sites. All
processes within the plant can be
monitored and controlled at any time.
In addition to animal manure supplied
by the farmers, the biogas plant is fed
with other readily available natural waste
products in order to increase its efficiency.
They include grass, lawn-clippings,
and biogenic industrial waste such as
vegetable and food scraps from industry,
restaurants and inhabitants. Added to this
are the leftovers of the local agricultural
industry, such as spent grains, pomace
and the remainders of the milling
industry.
Draka Holding NV – The Netherlands
Fax : +31 20 56 89 899
Email:
Website:
Combining FTTH with
environmental control