EnErGy Plant Weiz - Renewable energy community Business Park Energy Lane and Factory Lane Weiz

Based on the results of the exploratory study project REC-Businesspark, a demonstrator for a "renewable energy community business park" is to be developed in Weiz. The focus is on the development of innovative operating and tariff models for a redox flow storage system that is integrated into a renewable energy community.

Short Description

Starting point / motivation

In order to achieve the European climate targets, the increase of renewable energy sources is essential. A flexibilization and digital interconnection in the field of energy supply is necessary to make use of their potentials.

Buildings and building compounds are suitable for stabilizing the energy supply and will act as active nodes in decentralized energy systems of the future. Building compounds, such as business parks and industrial parks, which usually have above-average energy requirements, will play an important role for this purpose.

Contents and goals

Based on the results and lessons learned of the explorative study REC-Business Park, a demonstrator for a "renewable energy community business park" will be established at the new location Energiestraße/Werksweg in Weiz.

The original approach of the explorative study, to use renewable electricity from photovoltaic systems to generate hydrogen within a renewable energy community, has turned out to be uneconomical. Therefore, the renewable energy community business park will be equipped with a redox flow storage system instead of a hydrogen filling station/fuel cell.

The storage will be installed at the site of a high potential area (land parcel number 740/1) in combination with a newly constructed building and will be shared within the renewable energy community. The resulting flexibility is used for both, to increase self-consumption and on the control energy market (Regelenergiemarkt).

Methods

The project EnErGie Werk Weiz follows the approach of a systemic innovation. The focus is on the development of innovative operating and tariff models that enable the economical operation of a redox flow storage system, which is integrated into a renewable energy community. Further synergies can be exploited by the additional integration into a control energy pool.

The final dimensioning of the storage will take place during the research project. The use of this storage technology with high capacity (MWh range) is possible. The renewable energy community enables for their members a better withdrawal tariffs for the share of electricity drawn from the renewable energy community and a better feed-in tariff for their own produced renewable energy.

In that way, renewable energy communities are a valid instrument to increase the motivation for the installation of new/additional photovoltaic systems. The new focus area of the renewable energy community business park is defined in such a way that the surrounding private households can also participate in the renewable energy community. Moreover, a high degree of multiplication is an essential project goal.

Expected results

With EnErGie Werk Weiz, a flagship project is being implemented in Weiz that can make a significant contribution to the climate neutrality of business and industrial parks throughout Austria and beyond.

Buildings, Nature, Stadium — Renewable energy community Business Park Energy Lane and Factory Lane Weiz – W.E.I.Z. Forschungs & Entwicklungs gGmbH (Source: Wirtschaftsraum Weiz - St. Ruprecht/Raab)

Project Partners

Project management

W.E.I.Z. Forschungs & Entwicklungs gGmbH

Contact Address

W.E.I.Z. Forschungs & Entwicklungs gGmbH
Andrea Dornhofer
Franz-Pichler-Straße 30
A-8160 Weiz
Tel.: +43 (3172) 603-1120
E-Mail: andrea.dornhofer@innovationszentrum-weiz.at
Web: www.innovationszentrum-weiz.at