Good practice examples

Energy Center Bračak

Energy center Bračak castle

Location

Krapina-Zagorje County, Croatia (North-West)

Decision-making arguments

The Bračak castle is a property protected as part of the country’s cultural heritage. In 2012 Krapina-Zagorje County with EU financial support the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union funds and the technical support of REGEA, started to reconstruct the abandoned castle Bračak to become the Bračak Energy Center. The aim was to create an example of energy excellence and a combination of state-of-the-art technical solutions and preservation of cultural heritage.

CSSC technologies used

high-efficiency ventilation system with recuperation

gas-powered micro-cogeneration system producing 6 kW of electric power and 14.9 kW of heating power to heat water.

10 kWp photovoltaic systems

10 kWh battery system with power converter

Energy management system: server and an open two-way database upon which energy management algorithms are implemented for optimal coordination of the energy systems with the possibility of prediction and cost management

Timeframe

First phase (2011 – 2017)
Renovation and energy systems installation

Second phase (2019-2021)
PV, Battery system installation Energy management/monitoring system set up

Resources needed

The total value of the renovation: EUR 3.2 million, (FZOEU, EU funds and Krapina-Zagorje County own funds).

Second phase – through Store4HUC project (Interreg Europe)

Impact indicators

Upgrade from E class energy grade to  B and C.

70% thermal energy annual savings.

88% of consumption from own RES production

52.4 tons CO2 emission reduction.

265 MWh/yr reduction of specific thermal  energy

Heat pump concept Neusiedl am See

Heat pump concept Neusiedl am See - from wind energy to district heating

Location

Neusiedl am See in Burgenland, Austria

Decision-making arguments

The Parndorf Plateau, recognised as one of the windiest inland regions in Europe, was chosen for the erection of the first wind turbines more than 15 years ago.

The increasing attractiveness of the town of Neusiedl am See led to a steady population growth which prompted the construction of a biomass heating plant including a district heating network in 2006 to meet the growing demand for heat. Thus, Neusiedl am See took advantage of the opportunity to combine the sectors electricity (wind power) and heat (district heating) developing a project which involved intelligently combined innovative technologies.

CSSC technologies used

Wind power to district heating

Intelligently coupled two energy sources by a heat pump, thus enabling the replacement of gas and biomass by the use of wind energy

Timeframe

In operation since 2019

Resources needed

Investment of 3.3 Mil. EUR

Impact indicators

1250 MWh/a natural gas savings
300 t/a CO2 emission reduction
1200 t of biomass consumtion reduction through the use of the heat pumps (Saving of 80 truck trips, which corresponds to a reduction of 9 t/a CO2 300 t/a CO2 + 9t/a CO2

  

HOTFLEX project

HOTFLEX project 150 KW Reversible High Temperature Electrolysis-/ Fuel Cell System for Flexibilization of the Energy Supply

Location

Mellach, Austria

Decision-making arguments

VERBUND utility company, which in 2012 opened an 838 MW natural gas-fired plant in Mellach, develops Hotflex - a pilot project at Austria’s biggest power station to research the possibility of using hydrogen as a replacement for natural gas to run the plant’s gas turbines.

VERBUND will test the partial substitution of natural gas with hydrogen, a first for an industrial power plant.

The pilot is a collaboration with Graz University of Technology and German cleantech company Sunfire, which develops and manufactures high-temperature electrolyzers and high-temperature fuel cells. With the Hotflex pilot, excess wind and solar power can be taken from the grid and converted into hydrogen by high-temperature electrolysis. This so-called ‘green’ hydrogen will be mixed with natural gas to drive the two gas turbines.

The hydrogen is to be produced directly at the power plant site by high-temperature electrolysis with a production capacity of 40 Nm³/h.

A special feature of the pilot plant, whose components are manufactured by Sunfire in Dresden, is that it can operate in reverse mode as a fuel cell, enabling the plant to produce electricity and heat from natural gas.

VERBUND will test this fuel cell operating mode primarily as a possibility for self or emergency power supply of its power plant.

CSSC technologies used

High-temperature electrolysis (hydrogen produced from water using RES electricity)

Power to heat

Fuel cell (power and heat from electricity)

Timeframe

Started in 2019 to be finalized in 2022

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

No data available

Battery storage in the summer resorts “Albena”

Battery storage in the summer resorts “Albena”

Location

Albena summer resort, Bulgaria

Decision-making arguments

A large share of renewable energy sources bringing volatility into the grid energy consumption motivated the development of the demo pilot. Volatility could lead to financial penalties by the grid operators or energy suppliers, possibly causing increase of the energy costs. By using battery storage systems and smart charging of EVs, the consumption of energy can be controlled/balanced. Energy management approaches like peak shaving, peak shifting, valley filling, etc., may change the form of the curve of used power. Using constant residual power from the grid will lead to financial benefits for the owner and thus, make the business model of the project profitable.

CSSC technologies used

smart invertor
batteries
EVs- power stations

Timeframe

Active since 2016.

Resources needed

240000 EUR

Impact indicators

130000 kWh Energy savings

130000 kWh RES production

117 t CO2/ year emission reduction

Solar Thermal HVAC input – Târgoviște University

Solar Thermal HVAC input – Târgoviște University

Location

Târgoviște, Romania

Decision-making arguments

Problems addressed: 1. HVAC system low efficiency and 2. Solar Thermal (ST) generator usage as thermal input for HVAC, instead of DHW.

The practice reaches its objectives through the following enabling scenarios:

- Load optimisation based on weather compensation applied on heat generators (natural gas burners), refrigeration unit (air-water heat pump) and distribution circuits.

- Solar Thermal interconnect at the HVAC distribution level on 2 circuits operated by weather compensated setpoints.

CSSC technologies used

Thermal energy storage (water)

Sector coupling: thermal energy for heating and cooling in buildings, thermal energy for district heating

Timeframe

Operational since 2014

Resources needed

61000 EUR

Impact indicators

30 building users

40% reduction of gas consumption

PV driven Microgrid - Târgoviște University

PV driven Microgrid - Târgoviște University

Location

Târgoviște, Romania

Decision-making arguments

The system was configured to serve critical consumers but also the entire IT infrastructure together with the data center.

CSSC technologies used

Energy storage: batteries (li-ion, lead-acid), thermal storage in water

Sector coupling: power to heating and cooling in buildings, power to district heating, power to mobility

Timeframe

Operational since 2016

Resources needed

370000 EUR

Impact indicators

30 building users

17.8 T/year CO2 emission reduction

Solar thermal system for domestic hot water preparation - Transilvania University in Brașov

Solar thermal system for domestic hot water preparation - Transilvania University in Brașov

Location

Brasov, Romania

Decision-making arguments

The system was designed to prepare domestic hot water using a solar thermal system for the locker rooms of the Gym of Transilvania University in Brașov.

CSSC technologies used

Thermal storage (water).

Sector coupling: natural gas for condensing thermal power

plant and electricity for operating pump groups

Timeframe

Operational since 2009

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

4.782,14 tons CO2 emission reduction:

nominal efficiency of flat plan solar thermal collectors 81%

nominal efficiency solar thermal 78.4%

annual efficiency of solar thermal system 54.7%

Battery storage facility C-Energy Planá

Battery storage facility C-Energy Planá

Location

Czech Republic, South Bohemian Region

Decision-making arguments

The largest battery storage facility in the Czechia was meant to ensure a reliable supply of electricity sources within the heating plant, including PV to LDS, to create a power backup for the provision of support service with start within 5 minutes (mFRR5 +), to ensure the transition and operation of LDS in island mode.

CSSC technologies used

4 MW battery storage facility; The SIESTORAGE storage system with the SIESTART (application serves to increase the flexibility of existing electricity sources – ancillary services). Technology includes control systems, Li-Ion battery cells, switchboards, inverters / converters, transformers, self-consumption power supply and other auxiliary systems.

Timeframe

2019 to 2029

Resources needed

Up to 3 million EUR

Impact indicators

540 MWh annual production of renewable electricity from photovoltaic power plant

168 tons of greenhouse gas emissions; in the 10 years of the project life it is 1,680 tons.

Reconstruction of the demonstration building of the Secondary School EMILA BELLUŠA

Energy center Bračak castle

Location

Trenčín, Slovakia

Decision-making arguments

The school building, completed in 1970, has undergone a comprehensive renovation in 2018 whose main scope was to reduce energy losses and improve the internal environment of the building. The former E category building is currently one of the buildings with almost zero energy demand (A0).

CSSC technologies used

Battery storage

Timeframe

Year of renovation 2018

Resources needed

2,61 million EUR

Impact indicators

77% heat consumption reduction

60% electricity consumption reduction

GRIDBOOSTER

GRIDBOOSTER

Location

Bratislava, Slovakia

Decision-making arguments

The implementing organisations, committed to expanding a supportive ecosystem for electromobility, set themselves and created the first ever battery assisted electric vehicle fast charging station – GridBooster (GB) – in Central and Eastern Europe

CSSC technologies used

Two 50 kW fast charging stations supported by a nearby energy storage unit (battery) capable of storing 52 kWh of energy and dispensing up to 60 kW of power at once.

Timeframe

Implemented in early 2019.

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

Support provided for prosumers

PV installation Humenné

PV installation Humenné

Location

Myslina, Slovenia (Muller Textiles Slovakia, s.r.o. - Industrial property located in the industrial park)

Decision-making arguments

The scope was to use the electricity produced on the roof of the production hall as efficiently as possible also reducing the carbon footprint. It was possible as Slovenské elektrárne – energetické služby, s.r.o. offered photovoltaic system as a service and Fuergy company offered battery storage integrated with AI-powered software, to maximize the use of electricity.

CSSC technologies used

Battery storage with a capacity of 432 kWh which stores energy from the installed PV panels, with a capacity of 499 kWp.

Timeframe

2020

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

500 MWh of electricity production per year

Freiburg technisches Rathaus: public net plus energy building

Freiburg technisches Rathaus: public net plus energy building

Location

Freiburg, Germany

Decision-making arguments

As part of a consolidation of several administrative buildings scattered throughout the city, the former technical town hall was demolished, and a new plus-energy building was constructed. Sector coupling and energy storage were considered and implemented from the beginning of the planning. Now the building produces more energy than it needs.

CSSC technologies used

The energy required for the building is generated thermally via suction and sip wells as well as solar thermal in connection with heat pumps and electrically via photovoltaics on the roof and facade. Surplus electricity is fed into the grid, over the course of a year, the building generates more energy than it consumes.

Timeframe

Contsruction started in 2013. The building is operational since 2017.

Resources needed

80 million EUR

Impact indicators

545.54 MWh/yr. production from PV

Around 120,000 €/yr saved

Bergwelt Kandel - Mountain restaurant and accommodation

Bergwelt Kandel - Mountain restaurant and accommodation

Location

Waldkirch, Germany

Decision-making arguments

The mountain Kandel is a popular destination in the Black Forest and region around Freiburg. The hotel is located in the middle of nature in a highly frequented tourist place. The goal was to be energy self-sufficient, so it can also serve as a good example for other tourist infrastructure. Built using timber it will be energy self-sufficient thanks to sector coupling.

CSSC technologies used

Hydrogen-based energy storage.

Timeframe

2019 to 2020, currently under construction

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

No data available

Power plant in the Freiburg district of Wiehre

Power plant in the Freiburg district of Wiehre

Location

Freiburg, district Wiehre, Germany

Decision-making arguments

The main objective was to promote the use of CHPs in inner-city building stock by overcoming typical obstacles with the by means of consulting, information and promotion. The project does not only refer to the technical implementation of a power plant, but also includes social factors. Through the project, private homeowners were informed, motivated and encouraged to implement the energy transition in their own homes.

CSSC technologies used

Combined heat and power plant (CHP).

Timeframe

October 2012 - December 2014

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

40% Primary energy savings

Hydrogen plant at Wyhlen hydropower station

Hydrogen plant at Wyhlen hydropower station

Location

Whylen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Decision-making arguments

The construction was part of a lighthouse project, supported by the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW)

CSSC technologies used

Sector coupling – power to gas

Timeframe

2019- start of operation

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

No data available

E-car sharing using PV and energy storage

E-car sharing using PV and energy storage

Location

Donaueschingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Decision-making arguments

Student/Schoolproject initiated by Friends' association to support the Technical High School. The project is a highly replicable one.

CSSC technologies used

Sector coupling

Timeframe

2016 – start of the project

Resources needed

No data available

Impact indicators

No data available

Waste heat extraction Whylen

Waste heat extraction Whylen

Location

Whylen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Decision-making arguments

The objective was to use the energy from waste heat to be used to  heat buildings and produce electricity.

CSSC technologies used

Sector coupling (heat to power)

Timeframe

2020 - start of project

Resources needed

2.8 Millions EUR 

Impact indicators

10,000 tons of CO2 emission reduction in Rheinfelden

Fontis Sol L.T.D

Fontis Sol L.T.D

Location

Niksic, Montenegro

Decision-making arguments

Given the high number of hours of sunshine the project was meant to use solar energy, as an efficient and environmentally friendly way, to reduce household heating and cooling costs.

CSSC technologies used

Sector coupling: power to heat

Timeframe

2012 start of the project

Resources needed

10000 EUR

Impact indicators

0.006 GWh/year energy savings

0.79 tCO2eq/year emission reduction

Demo centers

Croatia

Slovenia

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