Resilience starts at the local level: as part of the EnergieregionPlus project, we are developing virtual power plants to supply the local population with electricity and heat from renewable energy sources.
Working together for the district of Ahrweiler: Workshop held by the implementation group as part of the EnergieregionPlus project at the IQIB Innovation Lab.
IQIB
A stable and smart energy supply is a key factor in societal resilience. Global crises, geopolitical tensions and the consequences of climate change highlight the importance of sustainable and intelligent energy systems – particularly at a regional level. In the Ahr Valley, a region heavily affected by the impacts of extreme weather events, we are therefore developing tools and methods as part of the EnergieregionPlus project to enable the establishment of virtual power plants in collaboration with local authorities.
“Resilience starts local” is the guiding principle of the project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), which aims to enable a cost-effective and secure electricity supply for the region. The result will be the emergence of the seeds of an energy region that will serve as an example of how a smart and resilient energy supply can function in Germany in the future.
We asked Dr Bert Droste Franke:
A ‘virtual power plant’ refers to a network of several decentralised power generation facilities that are capable of replacing controllable power plant capacity.
Components can include electricity producers such as biogas, wind power, photovoltaic, CHP or hydroelectric plants. These are complemented by electricity consumers and energy storage systems, amongst others.
Locally produced electricity should be consumed locally.
In a ‘virtual power plant’, electricity generation, storage and consumption are intelligently networked.
This allows synergies to be exploited and electricity to be supplied in line with demand – despite the fluctuations caused by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
The electricity supply becomes more reliable and can even continue to function in parts during large-scale power cuts.
Visualisation: IQIB
At a joint workshop with the project’s implementation group at our Innovation Lab in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, experts from the worlds of academia, business and public administration discussed the project’s initial steps, as well as its key opportunities and challenges.
Alongside the IQIB, Simon Process Engineering GmbH and ef.Ruhr GmbH are contributing their technical and planning expertise. Together, they are laying the foundations to enable local authorities to implement tailor-made, economically viable energy solutions in future – adapted to regional needs and challenges.
Our contribution: We
develop analysis and visualisation tools to highlight the opportunities available to local authorities in jointly developed scenarios,
examine the framework conditions and support on-site implementation, including monitoring,
coordinate collaboration between the project partners.
Further information on the EnergieregionPlus project can be found here: EnergieregionPlus project