Virtual Green Power Plant

Core Objectives of the proposed project

The core objective of this project is to enhance the competitiveness of (grid-integrated), distributed power generation from renewable energy sources (RES-E) under current market rules in Austria. This objective will be achieved by an optimised and coordinated operation of power plants and loads within the model-system of a Virtual Green Power Plant.

The implicit objective is to integrate RES-E into the existing supply system more efficiently (i.e. rising the ecological as well as economical utilisation) taking into account their specific characteristics (e.g. intermittency of wind power, etc.).

Contents of the project

The core content of the proposed project is to initialise the demonstration of an innovative model system for power supply (from RES-E) - compatible with the existing regulation of the Austrian market - by the partners in this project: oekostrom AG, SIEMENS AG and SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels AG. In the course of the project this model system is developed in detail in order to utilise RES-E with volatile characteristics (wind, small hydro and photovoltaic), in a physically and cost-efficient way - and to mutually establish a balance with the load.

Working program

The results of the fundamental studies "Equitable competitive conditions for Virtual Power Plants" and "Wind integration supported by Demand Response" will be used as valuable inputs for the design of an overall balancing group as a Virtual Power Plant.

After the identification of relevant technical parameters of RES-E technologies (small hydro, wind, biomass, photovoltaic) and appliances of customers in different sectors (trade, industry, authorities, households and agriculture) the modular software DEMS (Decentralized Energy Management System) of SIEMENS PSE is utilised to model the Virtual Power Plant and simulate real-time operation of distributed power plants and loads. Necessary input data contains time series of production forecasts and actual power production as well as consumption and prices for balancing energy. Furthermore, data on demand response potentials, marginal costs of power production and costs for starting units and storing energy has to be procured.

Within the simulation runs, the operation of the Virtual Green Power Plant is optimised for different compositions of generation portfolios and consumer-structures as well as potentials for demand response and therefore the decisive factors for the cost-efficient operation of the overall balancing group are detected. In addition the results from conducted simulation runs are used to prepare requirement specifications and budget the costs for the technical implementation of the Virtual Power Plant for at least two different design options.

Finally the results of the project are disseminated in the course of public events and presentations of recommendations for action addressing potential operators of Virtual Power Plants.

Major results

The major result of this research project is a detailed Action Plan for the implementation of a Virtual Power Plant within the company and the balancing group of oekostrom AG. This Action Plan comprises a schedule for implementation as well as cost projections for necessary technical installations and organisational adjustments. Cost projections are thereby prepared according to the elaborated requirement specifications as a result of the economic evaluation of the optimised operation of the Virtual Power Plant in different implementation scenarios.

From this action plan business strategies and recommendations for potential operators of Virtual Power Plants are derived.

The consortium is planning to technically realise the concept of the Virtual Green Power Plant in the course of the 3rd Call of EDZ.

Project leader:
Univ.-Ass. DI. Dr. Hans Auer

Institute:

• Institut für Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft (EEG)
• Technische Universität Wien

Contact:
DI Carlo Obersteiner
DI Lukas Weißensteiner
TU-Wien, Institut für Elektrische Anlagen und Energiewirtschaft (EEG)
Gusshausstrasse 25-29/E373-2
A-1040 Wien
Tel.: +43 (1) 58801-37367
Fax: +43 (1) 58801-37397
E-Mail: obersteiner@eeg.tuwien.ac.at
Internet: www.eeg.tuwien.ac.at

Project partners:

• oekostrom Vertriebs GmbH
• Siemens AG Österreich PSE E&I
• Fraunhofer Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung (FhG-ISI)
• SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels-AG
• WIEN ENERGIE Stromnetz GmbH