SINTEG – Smart energy showcasesA programme for funding showcase regions for the energy supply of the future

SCHAUFENSTER INTELLIGENTE ENERGIE

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enera / p. 11

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SINTEG – Smart energy showcasesA programme for funding showcase regions for the energy supply of the future

SCHAUFENSTER INTELLIGENTE ENERGIE

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SINTEG: Smart energy showcases – Digital agenda for the energy transition – A programme for funding showcases for the energy supply of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Solutions for digitisation of the energy sector in five model regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

C/sells showcase – Extensive showcase in the southern German solar arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

DESIGNETZ showcase – Three German federal states test the power grid of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

enera showcase – Digitisation of energy supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

NEW 4.0 showcase – Innovation alliance for the north . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

WindNODE showcase – The showcase for smart energy from Germany’s northeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Achieving the target together – SINTEG is a network for overcoming important challenges of the energy transition . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Table of contents

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SINTEG: Smart energy showcases – Digital agenda for the energy transition

The energy transition is no longer a distant future vision, but rather a successful project of which Germany can be proud. At present a third of our electricity originates from wind, sun, water and biomass. As a result we are becoming increasingly independent of nuclear and coal-generated power and are protecting the climate. At the same time we are consuming less and less energy, even though the eco-nomy is growing.

It is now time to take the next steps We have set ourselves the target of obtaining at least 80 per cent of electricity consumed from renewable ener-gies by 2050, and by the same year of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 – 95 per cent compared to 1990. In order to achieve this target, it is not enough to simply build more wind and solar power plants. The electricity system as a whole must become more flexible and smart. The grids must be expanded and adapted to the new challenges. Production, grids, consumption and storage must interact intelligently. Heating systems, cars and industry must use more and more renewable electricity instead of fossil fuels. For all this we need innovative technologies and processes as well as digitisation of the energy sector.

Current questions are answeredHow can the system work if renewable energies are at times supplying one hundred per cent of our electricity? How must grids change? Which new business models does digi-tisation bring with it? How can personal data be protected and the system protected from hacker attacks? How can private consumers and small producers market their flexi-bilities? What could efficient sector coupling of power, heat and transport look like?

The future has already begun at SINTEGWith the SINTEG funding programme entitled “Smart energy showcase – digital agenda for the energy transition” we want to develop and demonstrate solutions in five large model regions (“showcases”). In so doing technical, eco-nomic and also legal challenges will be addressed. By way of example, the showcases are working on digital market plat-forms for networking and utilisation of flexible pro ducers and consumers, for example in order to avoid grid bottle-necks, or on mobile phone applications for the exchange of energy. The focal point is secure, efficient and mass market-

enabled processes, innovative technologies and market mechanisms for flexible, smart grids and markets. The best solutions will be used as models for widespread implemen-tation throughout Germany. Each showcase is faced with different local constraints and has a different focus. All rely on digitisation, however. For example digital market platforms for the exchange of energy are being created by means of which a large number of small battery storage units from private households can also be bundled in order to stabilise the grid. In addition, smart control technology is being implemented in industrial companies. As a result the latter can adjust production depending on the elec-tricity price and, for example, automatically increase their production when there is a lot of electricity from renewable energies.

“Real-world laboratory” for digitisation of the energy transition Another aim of the SINTEG programme is to record experi-ences proven in practice for future development of the legal framework. For this purpose the German federal govern-ment has approved an ordinance with fixed-term “exper-imental options”. The ordinance gives the showcases the opportunity to test new technologies, processes and busi-ness models without economic disadvantages, for example for digitisation and for power-heat sector coupling. As a result innovations can progress more quickly from labora-tory to practical test and finally to the market. With SINTEG we are thus creating a “real-world laboratory” for digitisa-tion of the energy transition.

In all five showcases a wide range of partners from the energy sector as well as the information and communica-tion sector are co-operating. Since December 2016 more than 300 companies, research institutions, municipalities, districts and federal states have been working together to create the energy world of tomorrow. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is supporting this work with subsidies worth more than EUR 200m. To this can be added the contributions of the participating compa-nies. The SINTEG programme will see a total of more than EUR 500m invested in the future of the energy system in the next four years.

A programme for funding showcases for the energy supply of the future

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Solutions for digitisation of the energy sector in five model regions

With the SINTEG funding programme solutions for digiti-sation of the energy sector are being developed and demon-strated in five large model regions – so-called showcases.

Each showcase is faced with different local constraints and has a different focal point:

C/sells: Extensive showcase in the southern German solar arcThe focal point of the C/sells showcase in Baden-Württem-berg, Bavaria and Hesse is “sun”. Regional optimisation of production and consumption is the main priority. The intention is to build an energy system with a cellular struc-ture (“cells”), thus autonomous regional cells which interact with each other in the supra-regional grid. Among other things it is planned that these will make use of more than 10,000 smart metering systems.

DESIGNETZ: Energy transition construction kit – from individual solutions to the efficient system of the futureIn the DESIGNETZ showcase in the federal states of North-Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, solu-tions for a smart energy infrastructure are being developed. This will efficiently enable flexible and secure supply using decentrally produced electricity from renewable energies. At the same time local, regional and supra-regional interac-tion of production and consumption will be tested. Thanks to the heterogeneity of the model region almost all the supply-related tasks can be simulated for the whole of Ger-many in the year 2035.

enera: The next major step in the energy transition In the enera showcase in Lower Saxony the focus among other things is regional system services, to stabilise the grid locally. enera addresses three focal points: grid, market and data. In the grid segment, by means of technical retrofit-ting of producers, consumers and storage facilities, or new installation, and by means of upgrading of the grid with new operating resources the energy system is to be made more flexible in technical terms. In the “market and trad-ing” segment the EPEX electricity exchange will expand its order books in the intraday market by adding information on the location of power generation plants. In order for this trading to work smoothly, a corresponding digital infra-structure must be created. There are plans to equip the grid with more than 30,000 smart metering systems and sensors and to connect it to the communications network.

NEW 4.0 – North German energy transition: From power to energy transitionIt is intended that the NEW 4.0 showcase in Schleswig- Holstein and Hamburg will show that the overall region can be securely and reliably supplied with power from 100 per cent renewable energy as early as 2035. In the framework of a dual strategy regional caps on wind energy plants in the model region are to be reduced by means of increased electricity export to other regions. At the same time energy self-sufficiency, thus consumption of renewably produced energy in the region, is to be increased by means of appro-priate flexibility concepts and sector coupling.

WindNODE: The showcase for smart energy from Germany’s northeastThe WindNODE showcase comprises the five east German states together with Berlin. The objective is efficient inte-gration of renewable production in a multi-energy-source system involving the power, heat and mobility sector. At WindNODE all the actors of a future smart energy sys-tem are represented – producers, users, power grids and markets – and work together to co-ordinate flexibilities. The perspective of the user is at the heart of the project. In-novative applications at all levels of the networked energy system are presented in nine demonstrators and connected with each other to form an overall model.

SINTEG – smart energy showcase – digital agenda for the energy transitionTarget: In SINTEG scalable model solutions for technical, economic and regulatory challenges of the energy transition are being developed and demonstrated in five showcases. The main focal point is secure, efficient and mass market-enabled processes, innovative technologies and market mechanisms for flexible, smart grids and markets.Duration: 2016 – 2020Project partners: over 300Funding amount: over EUR 200mContact: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)sinteg@bmwi.bund.de

www.sinteg.de

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C/sells showcase

How does electrical power get to where it is needed reli-ably? The C/sells project is intended to overcome this chal-lenge of the energy transition with smart grids and create a showcase for tomorrow’s energy supply in the southern German “solar arc”. Dr. Albrecht Reuter, general project manager of C/sells, explains how this will be achieved.

Dr. Reuter, what is the southern German solar arc all about?We plan to use digital technologies to build a supra- regional, decentralised, smart power grid. We are including all the available renewable energy sources from our region, for example wind power from Hesse and solar energy from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The latter two federal states are front runners in the production of solar energy and account for just under half of Germany’s photovoltaic capacity – with further potential for expansion over the next few years.

How does the solar arc work?Our energy system consists of many different cells, these being cities, districts, streets and also areas like airports and industrial zones. At C/sells we are testing the energy system of the future in more than 30 such demonstration cells. Solar power plants and wind farms come under the category “production”, transmission and distribution grids under “grids” and buildings, districts and cities under “con-sumption”. Together the cells constitute the infrastructure of our energy system, which we want to digitalise. This

allows us to control the entire energy supply process pre-cisely and automatically by means of digital technologies.

This has benefits: On the one hand each cell can itself pro-duce, distribute and use energy – entire cities thus benefit from autonomous energy management. On the other hand we can connect the cells to each other by means of digital technology. Power can then automatically be sent to exactly where it is required. If, for example, a village produces too much solar power at midday, the surplus energy is fed into the grid. If there is a peak in power production, the surplus is stored. If, however, industry in the region requires addi-tional power, it is supplied with the surplus from the village. Digital technologies thus give each cell in our infrastructure the flexibility to balance the fluctuations in renewable ener-gies. A smart energy grid thus also contributes to security of supply.

How do you intend to implement the solar arc in practice?Three key instruments form the basic structure of the C/sells project and at the same time constitute its connect-ing links. These are the “Infrastructure Information System (IIS)”, the “reconciliation cascade” and “regionalised trading with energy and flexibilities”.

The first instrument, “IIS”, provides the market and grid participants with various information and access services together with the instruments necessary for these in order to achieve optimisation both at cell level and in the cell

Extensive showcase in the southern German solar arc

C/sells in summaryModel region: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and HesseTarget: Cellular energy systems with large shares of renewable energies for an environmentally compatible, efficient, convenient and secure energy structure are being developed and extensively demonstrated.Duration: January 2017 to December 2020Funding amount: About EUR 44m Partners: 58Contact: Fichtner IT Consulting AGDr. Albrecht ReuterTel: +49 711 - 208995 201964Albrecht.Reuter@csells.net

www.csells.net

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restrictions in the framework of the traffic light phases and the interaction of various markets with regionalised and non-regionalised products existing in parallel.

In order to make the platform practicable we still need to find answers to certain technical questions. We are aware that our energy system will be more vulnerable to cyber- attacks in future. We are therefore developing high stand-ards of data protection and information and functional re-liability. At the same time we are researching combinations of communication technologies which are tailored to the individual C/sells cells such as mobile telecoms, Ethernet, fibre-optic, DSL and Powerline, in order to compensate for the shortcomings of mobile telecommunication. Mobile telecoms technology does not include certain points in our energy grid and would thus exclude them from the solar arc.

Besides this even the best idea is worthless if it is not based on a solid legal foundation or is non-viable. We therefore wish to participate in the drawing up of a suitable legal framework for smart energy grids and make a contribu-tion to ensuring that the energy transition is economically viable.

How can companies and people profit economically from the solar arc?By digitising the energy infrastructure we are creating opportunities for new business models, services and prod-ucts. Energy producers, grid operators and the population at large will all be able to benefit from this economic poten-tial. Already today, for example, about 760,000 people in southern Germany are producing electricity themselves. By means of new ideas and measures we want to contribute to enlarging the group of beneficiaries from the energy transi-tion and thus also achieve more acceptance.

In more than 30 demonstration cells and nine participa-tion cells we are testing the guiding principle of C/sells: an energy system which is cellular, participative and diverse will function sustainably for coming generations and will be enduring.

network and to provide market access for flexibilities. The IIS ensures that information and data exchange between the cells is efficient, interoperable and secure. For this purpose the IIS supports energy grids, energy (service) markets and properties with shared information and communications technologies. The IIS consists of components from sensor technology, actuator technology, the communication sys-tem and shared basic services.

The second instrument, the so-called reconciliation cas-cade, ensures that the grids communicate and act quickly and for the most part on an automated basis across all voltage levels. In a renewable energy world this is a basic requirement for a stable grid. In keeping with the cell con-cept it is possible to rectify recognised or forecast critical grid statuses on an automated basis both within the cell and in the cell network. Against this backdrop assessment logic of the grid status was introduced in the form of a traffic light with green, yellow and red grid statuses. The auto-mated processing of measures to ensure grid stability con-ceived in C/sells minimises the duration of red phases. Thus equal and unrestricted development of actor diversity is made possible, with the grid operators taking on the media-tor role to the extent that they make the grid infrastructure available to the market without discrimination.

The third instrument is concerned with regionalised trad-ing of energy services and products. The scope of action of the C/sells actors is no longer limited to a single focal point. Rather they are in a position to buy and sell both regional energy and flexibility and to trade on the already existing core markets and thus to generate revenues. An option for implementing regionalised trading is the creation of regional markets (for short: regiomarkets). In addition to this core markets can be extended with regionalised prod-ucts. Regardless of the exact nature of the regionalised trading the C/sells actors are free to support the grid oper-ators in bottleneck situations in the grid (e.g. to feed battery storage units in the event of low photovoltaic energy pro-duction), to trade electricity between themselves (e.g. sale of electricity to a customer in a neighbouring village), or even as now to sell centrally (on the electricity exchange or the balancing energy market). C/sells trading creates numer-ous opportunities for participation and gives all actors in the future energy system an economic framework. At the same time the C/sells market design takes into account the practicability of energy flows on the basis of physical grid

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DESIGNETZ showcase

The energy sector is already carrying out laboratory and small-project research on the power supply of the future. In the process clever individual solutions are in some cases being found which can also be successfully implemented. Thus things that already work on a small scale are now also expected to work in a larger context – with the DESIGNETZ project. About 50 partners from the energy sector, industry, municipalities and research and development would like to join forces to answer this question: How can we achieve climate-friendly, reliable and efficient energy supply with growing shares of fluctuating power production from the wind and the sun? The focal point is digital and smart transmission grids, which against the backdrop of increas-

ingly decentralised production increasingly decentralised production are developing more and more from a one-way street into a two-way street for electricity. However, innova-tive storage technologies, energy platforms and controllable loads are also playing a role.

In DESIGNETZ local, regional and supra-regional levels are connected to each other by means of an innovative grid system. Thus supply and demand can be directly exchanged at local or regional level, and also met supra- regionally where required. The following examples show that DESIGNETZ can simulate a wide range of supply- related tasks for the majority of the German regions.

Three German federal states test the power grid of the future

DESIGNETZ in summaryModel region: North-Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland- Palatinate and SaarlandTarget: DESIGNETZ integrates individual solutions, in particular by means of optimised market-, system- and grid-supporting utilisation of flexibilities, to create an efficient, stable and thus future-proof overall system.Duration: January 2017 to December 2020Funding amount: About EUR 29mPartners: 47Contact: innogy SETorsten KnopTel: +49 201 - 1229324designetz@innogy.com

www.designetz.de

DESIGNETZ: The showcase includes not only agglomerations, but also rural areas.

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DESIGNETZ in North-Rhine Westphalia: Energy supply in an agglomerationSpring excursion to Zeche Zollverein: The silence of a Sunday morning idyll is broken by a group of pri-mary school pupils. In exactly the place where bituminous coal used to be mined, the latest adventure of Kleinlaut the Witch can now be seen, staged by an Essen theater. The structural change is more noticeable in the Ruhr Valley than in just about any other place in the Republic: The decline of the coal and steel in-dustry led to an upturn in the services-oriented and knowledge-based economy. A great deal of electricity is consumed nowadays between the Ruhr and the Emscher, but little is produced locally. There is hardly any space in the densely-populated agglomeration for new installations with which electricity from re-newable energies could be produced. There is however a large number of energy grids as well as a whole series of industry sectors which can bring flexibility to the energy supply system both as consumers and as producers or suppliers of controllable loads – for example by means of storage of surplus energy or conversion of surplus electricity into heat.

DESIGNETZ in Saarland: Consumption and production in equilibriumAnyone making it right to the top can not only enjoy the panoramic view over the entire Saar Bow, but has also learnt a great deal about the forest habitat: The Treetop Trail, opened in the summer of 2016, is one of Saarland’s latest attractions. Visitors who are not so interested in nature can go and see the Völklingen Ironworks. The Saarlanders are also well acquainted with structural change. Instead of coal, Saarland now relies on the steel and automotive industry – and very successfully, too. Numerous companies have located along the Saar, and all have very high energy consumption. However, Saar-land is also rural and comparable to other regions in the central German uplands. Energy production from renewable energy sources is possible there and is indeed already practised. The result is a bal-anced relationship between consumption and production – provided that the energy obtained can be stored without loss and used in high-load periods.

DESIGNETZ in Rhineland-Palatinate: Rural areas as energy suppliersThe accolade before retirement: The distinction of Winemaker of the Year came at exactly the right time for Hans-Joachim Zilliken. He had just heralded the change of generation and placed his business in Saarburg in Rhineland-Palatinate in the hands of his daughter. She now intends to continue the tradition and produce first-class wines, the trademark of Rhineland-Palatinate. There are vineyards, romantic fortresses and castles and picturesque old towns to be seen here. Last year alone the country between Rhine, Mosel and Saar attracted just under ten million guests, who visited one of the spas, for example, or hiked along the German Wine Route. The rural structure accounting for a large part of Rhineland-Palatinate is perfectly suited to the production of renewable energies. Energy from sun, wind and biogas is produced here – more than can be consumed locally. In order to use up the surplus energy, storage facilities as well as local and supra-regional balancing options need to be created.

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enera showcase

New technologies for energy supplyIn its model region the enera showcase concentrates on digitisation of energy supply. The intention is that machines will supply us with information better, e. g. by means of electricity consumption, and the individual parts of the energy system will be able to exchange data between themselves. This can only work if we equip the energy sup-ply system with digital technologies.

We are investigating where electricity is used in north-west Germany and at what time. For this purpose more than 30,000 smart electricity meters are to be installed in house-holds, businesses and companies and about 1,000 junctions in the power grid are to be equipped with digital metrology.

Technology will be able to react increasingly independently to this information: with up to 200 smart transformers most of the fluctuations in the local grid – frequently cre-ated by wind and solar power plants – will be automatically balanced. With devices for transformation of voltage and frequency, wind power installations can help to keep the voltage in the grid stable. Large, flexible consumers – e. g. industrial companies – are to be equipped with control technology with which they can increase production when there is excess supply of green electricity and vice versa. And with the installation of three electricity storage units having a total capacity of seven megawatts, surplus green electricity produced in periods of strong wind can be called off in periods of calm.

Digitisation of energy supply

enera in summaryModel region: Lower Saxony with the Aurich, Fries-land and Wittmund districts and the city of EmdenTarget: In a systematic approach enera demonstrates the continuous digitisation and improvement in tech-nical flexibility of the energy system taking all actors into account.Duration: January 2017 to December 2020Funding amount: About EUR 52mPartners: 63Contact: EWE AGUlf BrommelmeierTel: +49 441 - 48055111ulf.brommelmeier@ewe.de

www.energie-vernetzen.de

In its model region enera concentrates on digitisation of energy supply.

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In order for all this to work, data must be brought together and processed in a manner that is conducive to effective operations. A platform for data exchange is therefore being developed. Suitable interfaces are required for this so that all the technologies speak a common language. In order for the platform to be used frequently, central and easy-to-use services such as billing and reporting must be provided – and everything subject to the most stringent IT security and data protection regulations.

Laboratory for the business models of tomorrowBesides this, in enera’s creative “Laboratory of the Future” the organisation’s own new smart services and products are emerging. They will, for example, create more security and convenience for consumers and increase the efficiency of energy production. At the same time this means more security and convenience on the one hand and greater effi-ciency of energy supply on the other.

In particular this concerns electricity producers, electricity traders and grid operators. In order to make optimal use of resources in the region, electricity must be produced and used locally exactly as required. And this in a flexible manner, so that load on the grid and expansion can be min-imised. For this purpose producers, storage facilities and

businesses are to be networked as regional, virtual power plants and a marketplace for regional energy products and services developed. The merging of all data makes more reliable forecasts and more efficient trading possible – and results in lower electricity prices for consumers.

However, they too can benefit directly from enera: with smart meters and more transparency in the power grid individual, flexible tariffs can be created which, for example, reward the charging of an electric car just when the wind is blowing strongly. Or by means of mobile phone apps that help to save energy. If consumers equip their houses with smart technology, their domestic solar storage tanks or night storage heating can earn money for them by taking load off the grid.

A model for the whole of GermanyThese examples clearly show: enera wants to demonstrate in practice what energy supply can look like in ten or twenty years if it is rethought sustainably and intelligently. Once enera has demonstrated what digitisation of energy supply achieves and the regulatory framework and invest-ment that it needs, the region can serve as a model through-out Germany and Europe.

The enera model region is characterised by decentralised production of large quantities of wind energy.

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NEW 4.0 showcase

Prof. Dr. Werner Beba is project co-ordinator of the NEW 4.0 joint project. At the same time he is head of the Competence Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (CC4E) at HAW Hamburg.

What does NEW 4.0 stand for and what are the project’s targets?“NEW” stands for North German Energy Transition and 4.0 denotes the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution: digitisation of industry and smart networking of the actors in the framework of the energy transition. By means of a cross-national large-scale practical trial we would like to test how the whole of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein can be supplied 100 per cent with electricity from renewable energies by as early as 2035 – reliably, cheaply, with mini-

mum CO2 emissions and in a socially acceptable manner. The solutions to be tested can subsequently be used as a model for other German and European regions.

What is special about Hamburg and the Schleswig-Holstein region?Being a vibrant port city in a densely populated metropol-itan region with large-scale industry Hamburg has very high electricity consumption. By contrast Schleswig-Hol-stein is an important production centre for wind energy and it exports increasing volumes of electricity. Not only at regional level: due to its geographical location between centres of consumption in the south and storage power plants in Scandinavia, northern Germany is developing into an important intersection internationally, too. We are convinced that the region offers ideal conditions to become an innovation driver of the energy transition.

What challenges are you faced with in the NEW 4.0 project?Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein constitute an optimal model region to test solutions to one of the most impor-tant challenges of tomorrow’s energy supply: overcoming the growing disparity between production and consump-tion. Even today, all too frequently wind power plants for example still have to be capped, because the quantities of electricity cannot be transported to consumers due to grid bottlenecks. The aim in NEW 4.0, therefore, is to develop a system which no longer just reacts to demand, but which can dynamically adapt consumption to the available elec-tricity supply.

Innovation alliance for the north

NEW 4.0 in summaryModel region: Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg Target: Growth in electricity exports and an increase in own-utilisation of energy serves as a development path for secure, low-cost, climate-friendly power supply with a 100 per cent renewable energy share in 2035.Duration: December 2016 to November 2020Funding amount: About EUR 44mPartners: 57Contact: HAW HamburgProf. Dr. Werner BebaTel: +49 40 - 428 75 6937werner.beba@haw-hamburg.de

www.new4-0.de

Prof. Dr. Werner Beba, project co-ordinator at NEW 4.0.

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How do you intend to overcome this challenge?Development of a new energy system cannot be achieved overnight. However, within the four-year project dura-tion NEW 4.0 will succeed in indicating the development paths for this. For this purpose an innovation alliance with around 60 partners from industry and the scientific and political communities has been formed. We are working together to pursue a dual strategy: Firstly the ability to export electricity to other regions will be improved. On the other hand own-utilisation of renewably produced elec-tricity is to be increased – for example by using new storage technologies or by means of improvement in flexibility of industrial production processes. By means of sector cou-pling, thus the conversion of surplus electricity into energy for heat or mobility, we are stabilising the electricity system and reducing the fossil energy requirement. All participat-ing actors and components of production, storage, trans-port and consumption are being intelligently networked with each other for this purpose. This results in a concrete picture of the respective demand situation and energy con-sumption can be flexibly and economically controlled.

What long-term benefits does the project offer?By supplying the whole region using renewable energies we avoid the production of environmentally harmful CO2 emissions. System costs will be reduced – by means of avoidance of caps. With NEW 4.0 we are thus making a decisive contribution to the “once-in-a-century energy transition project” – also in macroeconomic terms: the test-ing of new market models and regulatory conditions are an essential component of our showcase. Overall, therefore, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein are expanding their role as innovation centres by means of NEW 4.0. Besides this the project opens up entirely new market opportunities for the participating companies and ensures competitiveness in the long term. As a result the economic strength of the region is being greatly increased. This also goes hand-in-hand with the securing and creation of jobs.

Consumption and production complement each other in NEW 4.0: while Hamburg, a port city and industrial centre, consumes a great deal of energy, Schleswig-Holstein produces lots of electricity from wind power.

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WindNODE showcase

Outlook on the renewable futureEven now half of electricity consumption in the WindNODE showcase is covered by renewable energies, most impor-tantly from wind power, with the trend still rising sharply. Comparable regions in the home market and abroad will not be as far advanced for several years. However, what do we mean when we say “half our power requirement from renewables”? In fact this is an average calculated over the whole year, because the sun and the wind do not supply energy at a constant rate. For example in a calm night (the so-called “night-time calm”) there is almost no renewable electricity, so in the past coal- and gas-fired power plants in particular have had to be used. On a sunny, windy day, by contrast, it is possible that in many of the participating regions wind and solar power plants produce more than three times the power required locally. In the transmission and distribution grids which transport the electricity from the wind farms over great distances into the cities and fac-tories, bottlenecks then threaten: similar to traffic conges-tion on a main thoroughfare in rush-hour traffic.

Flexible electricity consumers …In order for the grid to remain stable, supply and demand must be in equilibrium at every moment. But how can con-sumers’ electricity consumption be adapted to fluctuating production from wind and sun and at the same time a grid overload be avoided? This is exactly the question on which well over 70 partners from the whole of northeast Germany are jointly working in the WindNODE project. Besides the required grid expansion an important part of the answer is: flexibilities. The principle is known to anyone who has

booked a vacation. Any customer who is flexible and can plan his vacation for dates on which few other people are travelling will obtain the cheapest overnight stays in hotels. And in the power grid, too, we are on the lookout for flex-ible customers who can literally adapt their consumption to suit the weather forecast and can in return save money. Thus, for example, a factory can shift part of its production to a time when strong winds are crossing the country. And a supermarket can also cool its freezer cabinets in advance precisely during this period, because the goods remain suf-ficiently cold even if the refrigeration units are turned off during a later calm. WindNODE systematically looks for flexibilities like these in industry, supermarkets and resi-dential districts. And in the event that too much electricity is available in spite of this, work is being done on using storage technologies – large batteries, groups of electric cars or even heat accumulators – which can then be electrically recharged cheaply.

… in a smart networkBut how does the factory or electric car know when it is a good time to consume electricity? This is possible thanks to information and communications technology linking partners in the smart energy system. There is also talk of digitisation of the energy transition.

The connected customers receive notification of the weather forecast and expected power production. This gives them the opportunity to adapt their consumption to wind and sun conditions – if desired automatically controlled or even aligned with the electricity price.

The showcase for smart energy from Germany’s northeast

WindNODE in summaryModel region: The new German federal states including BerlinTarget: By means of digital networking large produc-tion capacities of renewable energies, power grids and energy consumers are being efficiently integrated. Duration: December 2016 to November 2020Funding amount: About EUR 37mPartners: 75Contact: 50Hertz Transmission GmbHMarkus GraebigTel: +49 30 - 5150 2805info@windnode.de

www.windnode.de

17SINTEG – SMART ENERGY SHOWCASES

At the same time the power grid operators can use the offered flexibilities such that overloading of the power grids is avoided.

Touch and participate with the showcase And what is the showcase all about? The WindNODE part-ners want to show both experts and the interested public that a smart energy system actually works. New technolo-gies and services can be tested in the “real-world laboratory of northeast Germany”. As soon as the smart energy system is built, it will not only be used in the model region. Indeed, blueprints will be drawn up which can be exported to other federal states and regions. Because this means attractive jobs and new export opportunities.

It will be possible to see some of the exciting components of such a smart energy system at more than 20 “visitable locations” at WindNODE. Thus, for example, factories, supermarkets and residential districts will open their doors and demonstrate how production, cooling and heating can be adapted to the wind and the sun. A roadshow called “WindNODE Live!”, a “walk-through table of contents” for the overall project as it were, will provide a general over-view of WindNODE at various places in the model region and at the same time make the energy world more tangible in an artistic form with “Energy meets Art”. And anyone who wishes can also actively participate at WindNODE, in ideas competitions for example.

In the “real-world laboratory of northeast Germany” new technologies and services are being tested at WindNODE – in an artistic form.

©heimrich&hannot/50Hertz

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Achieving the target together

In order that all stakeholders, also outside of SINTEG, work towards the same goals in technical terms, the SINTEG partners participate in relevant standardisation commit-tees and regularly exchange information on standardisation activities with the respective interest groups.

SINTEG will introduce new systems, hardware, software and business models to the energy supply system. From the outset the showcases make IT security an important com-ponent of their supply infrastructure. At the same time the experience gained from the SINTEG projects is also contrib-uted to national and international committees.

Proven experience from the “SINTEG real-world labora-tory” will be used for further development of the legal framework. For this purpose there is an exchange of ideas with and between the showcases based on the use of new technologies, processes and business models. An important basic principle for this is the SINTEG Ordinance, approved by the German federal government, with fixed-term “experimental options”.

The design and further development of many new tech-nologies in the energy sector also means changes to the vocational landscape of the energy sector. The showcases will provide many revealing insights into the newly-arising demands on the skills and abilities of employees and what new energy jobs must be created in order to overcome these challenges.

SINTEG also focuses on rapid digitisation of business pro-cesses. They are a key challenge of the energy transition. But what new digital business models can be developed from this? SINTEG examines what new opportunities are created with the amalgamation, processing and evaluation of energy- related data.

Each showcase is faced with different constraints in its model region. They capitalise on this and make use of their special competitive advantages, such as climatic or economic conditions, for the energy transition. In SINTEG similar smart energy regions in Europe are to be identified and networked with the showcases. Between regions having similar or complementary basic conditions for the energy transition, an exchange of ideas is being stimulated allow-ing both parties to engage in cross-border co-operation. The results will point to ways of transferring the solutions of the showcases to other regions in Europe and thus opening up new markets.

SINTEG is a network for overcoming important challenges of the energy transition

SINTEG has major targets and addresses important challenges of the energy transition. There is therefore a network in and around SINTEG which addresses important questions of over-arching significance for the energy transition and which concern all the showcases in equal measure.

www.bmwi.de