The way we live and interact with one another is set to change significantly in the coming years and decades. As a result of urbanisation, many people will move to urban centres, which will consequently become hotspots for energy and resource consumption. Against the backdrop of climate change and increasing resource scarcity, a rethink of our energy supply is necessary, particularly in the areas of heating, cooling and hot water supply: These sectors account for 51% of final energy demand in the EU, with a significant increase in cooling demand expected in the future. Achieving any climate targets is therefore linked to the complete decarbonisation of heating and cooling supply, which must be initiated now through innovative concepts. Heating and cooling networks are key technologies in this context, as they enable the intelligent and sustainable integration of renewables, storage systems, users and buildings, as well as interconnection with other energy supply networks (electricity, gas).

The aim of the "Anergy2Plus" project is to pursue a holistic approach to the design, construction and, ultimately, the use of the residential neighbourhood in the context of energy supply. Particularly in the field of thermal energy supply, the demonstration of this innovative supply concept based on an anergy network aims to create a flagship project on the path to an energy-plus neighbourhood. This demonstration is supported by a comprehensive monitoring concept. For the planning of the subsequent construction phases, further innovative measures at component level (e.g. PV, PVT, biomass boilers) and at system level (e.g. load and storage management, integration of heating, cooling and electricity supply up to microgrids) are being evaluated and driven towards implementation. Measures for user integration are embedded within the demonstration, operation and further planning.

The results show that the implemented anergy network has enabled the realisation of an innovative and modularly expandable supply system for a sustainable residential neighbourhood. In the first construction phase, three buildings with a gross floor area of around 3,400 m² were connected to a shared low-temperature system combining solar thermal, heat pumps, foundation storage, ground probes and flat-plate collectors. The energy assessment based on system simulations confirmed the fundamental functionality and efficiency of the concept. It is particularly noteworthy that during the summer months, the heating demand is met entirely by solar energy and excess heat can be stored seasonally. In the annual simulation, the heat pumps achieve an SPF of around 4.1 and make a key contribution to the heat supply, particularly during the low-radiation winter months. The results of the scenario studies for further construction phases also show that additional potential for increasing solar coverage, self-consumption and self-sufficiency can be tapped through larger collector areas, photovoltaics, electrical storage and improved load management. Overall, the project confirms the relevance of anergy networks as a sustainable neighbourhood solution, but also makes it clear that careful system design, continuous monitoring and adaptive operational management are crucial for realising the full potential.

In the subsequent construction phases, the anergy network is to be gradually expanded and supplemented with additional renewable energy sources, storage technologies and closer integration with the electricity supply. There is particular potential in the integration of photovoltaics, electrical storage and smart load management to further increase the neighbourhood's self-consumption and self-sufficiency. The monitoring data obtained during the first construction phase will also be used to continuously optimise operations and assess the transferability of the concept to other sustainable neighbourhood developments.

Project management

Garten der Generationen e.V. (GdG)

Project or cooperation partners

• Obkircher Plus
• AEE - Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien

Garten der Generationen e.V. (GdG)
Ronald Wytek
Am Hainer Berg-Dörflein 10
A-3130 Herzogenburg
E-Mail: ronald.wytek@gartendergenerationen.net
Web: www.gartendergenerationen.net