Demonstration Center 3

Destrnik

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Destrnik is a small rural municipality in the Podravje region in the North-East of Slovenia. It has a population of 2640 inhabitants.  The main public buildings are all located in the heart of the municipality. Here you can find the municipal office, the postal office, the police station, the primary school and finally, the kindergarten where the demo center is based!

The demo center in Destrnik illustrates how a small municipality can implement different CSSC solutions in a rural context. In this concrete case, solar panels have been installed on the roof of the building and these have been combined with a stationary battery. They constitute an alternative to the existing net metering system. In addition, there is an electric vehicle charging station. The investment includes all the necessary equipment for controlling and managing the electric loads from the grid, the PV system and batteries.

How does the system work? Electricity is generated with photovoltaic panels and can be stored in the battery for later usage. When electricity production is high, excess electricity is fed into the network system as a part of the net metering self-supply scheme. The electricity is also made available for the charging of electric vehicles at a local charging station, which is accessible to the public. This means that the residents of the municipality directly benefit from the investment.

The site also contains all the equipment needed to control and manage the electric loads from the grid, PV system and the batteries. The demo site will continue using electricity from the grid, but it will supplement it with its own electricity generated by means of solar panels. This is a highly effective way of dealing with the variability of sun light across seasons and times of day. Employing batteries will greatly reduce the strain on the grid because the kindergarten building will be able to use its own electricity during times of peak demand. This will contribute to the creation of a smarter grid and help Destrnik become a smart village.

In Slovenia, battery storage in individual buildings is still only rarely being implemented. The net-metering system in place makes it unfeasible to use batteries to store electricity from PV. In future, changes in production and consumption billing within the net-metering system are expected and with these changes, battery storage will become feasible and will gain in importance. At that point, the Destrnik centre will present a great practical example that will serve as a basis for learning and the promotion of such installations.

The whole logic behind the approach should also help foster the roll-out of electric vehicles in municipalities. Two charging stations have already been installed in the municipality and a whole network is now being planned. Future grid development will require actions from all consumers in order to balance the grid in terms of peak loads. These kinds of municipal initiatives mark the first step in changing citizens’ behaviour towards taking the strain of the grid.

Definition of the concept

07-10/2020

Specification of the equipment for the public procurement process

11/2020-01/2021

Procurement of components

02/2021

Preparation of the designs for the installation and obtaining the necessary permissions

03/2021-11/2021

Purchase and installation of components

10/2021

Connection of the battery system and the charging station:

11/2021 (01/2022)

Initial operation of the demo center

01/2022

PV installation

03/2022

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Name: BYD battery premium
Capacity: 20kWh
Quantity: 2 pieces

The BYD Battery-Box Premium LVS is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack for use with an external 1-phase or 3-phase inverters.

Battery-Box Premium LVS, is aimed for PV self-consumption optimization for residential and light commercial on-grid and off-grid applications including capabilities for high-powered emergency-backup systems. A single Battery-Box Premium LVS set contains between 1 to 6 battery LVS modules stacked in parallel and can reach from 4 to 24.0 kWh usable capacity in one tower.

Product advantages:

  • State of art Plug and Play solution, saving installation
  • Compatible with Market Leading 1 and 3 Phase Inverters
  • Cobalt Free Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Battery: Maximum Safety, Life Cycle and Power
  • Capable of High-Powered Emergency-Backup and Off-Grid Function
  • Patented Internal Plug Design Requires No Additional Wiring
  • Self-Consumption Optimization for Residential and Commercial Applications

Product features:

  • Usable capacity: 20.0 kWh
  • Nominal voltage: 51.2 V
  • Max. Output current: 250A
  • Peak Output current: 360A, 5s
  • Operating Voltage Range: 40-57,6 V
  • Operating temperature: -10 °C to +50 °C
  • Communication: CAN/RS485
  • Round trip energy efficiency: >= 95 %
  • Certification: VDE2510-50 / IEC62619/ CE / CEC / UN38.3
  • Protection rating: IP55
  • Applications: ON Grid / ON Grid + Backup / OFF Grid
  • Dimensions (H/W/D): 1460x650x29
  • Weight: 247,5 kg
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Name: Solaredge invertor
Type: hybrid
Nominal power: 10kW
Quantity: 2 pieces

SolarEdge’s StorEdge Three-Phase Inverter can be combined with LG Chem and BYD 48V batteries. The StorEdge three-phase inverter is a hybrid device. This means that the conversion, control and simultaneous transfer of solar energy to the battery storage is done from one device. If the consumers cannot absorb the generated electricity, it is stored directly in the battery. This eliminates the otherwise necessary AC conversion and thus reduces losses. Commissioning is conveniently done with a smartphone by the SolarEdge SetApp.

Product features:

  • 3-phase system structure
  • 2 pairs of MC4 inputs
  • DC nominal voltage 750 Vdc
  • 5 kW battery connection 48V
  • Very high efficiency over 97 %
  • Ethernet, RJ45
  • Optional WLAN, ZigBee Gateway or GSM
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Name: Schneider EvParking
Type: charging stations with RFID and protective equipment
Nominal charging power: 22 kW
Quantity: 2 pieces

Schneider EVLink Parking is well-suited for any commercial or public location. The exclusive design would perfectly fit business centers, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and other public parking areas. Schneider EVLink is classified as fast Mode 3 charging station with ability to charge up to 2 vehicles and provide up to 44 kW of power.

Product features:

  • 2 x Mode 3, Type 2.
  • Socket – outlet type: Type 2 with shutter / silver plated contacts
  • Both sides accessible
  • Up to 2×22 kW
  • Charges up to 2 vehicles
  • Integrated energy meter
  • Robust aluminum casing
  • RFID authorization (Not compatible with RFID badges with chips Mifare Classic 1K)
  • OCPP communication system
  • Bright LED screen
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Nominal power of PV modules: 25 kWp

PV modules are installed at the neighbouring building and directly connected to the kindergarten building. The reason for moving the PV installation to another buildings roof is because of the more favourable roof conditions – roof slope. The roof of the kindergarten building requires the installation of an additional supporting structure for the PV modules.

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Based on the use of the latest technologies and systems (highly efficient PV modules, use of electricity and heat storage, building core activation …) a comprehensive energy concept was developed for an entire office building, to make sure that all energy needed for the building (electricity, heating, cooling) can be supplied by the installed PV panels. The whole building is energy positive, which means it produces more energy than is consumed on site.  The building is equipped with an energy management system for operation, which can also be integrated into higher-level systems – for example in the context of energy communities or energy-plus districts. For this purpose, an interface to the VPP (= Virtual Power Plant) already in operation in Oberwart (Oberwart Loadshift project) is planned. 

The building is designed and engineered consistently in BIM systems (= Building Information Modeling), the data models generated in the process are also updated during operation and kept up to date in order to ensure that the building is operated with optimized energy consumption. The entire building is automated on the basis of the BIM data models, so that many functionalities run in the background without impairing the convenience of the users.

A comprehensive monitoring system continuously monitors generation and consumption (at 15-minute intervals) and regulates the energy demand based on current and forecast usage and occupancy of the individual rooms. The PV system feeds the main systems of the building, controlled by the energy management, whereby the highest possible utilization of renewable energy is guaranteed via the various energy storages. 

According to the overall concept, the competence center will play a central role in a renewable energy community or in a plus-energy district and it is planned to be able to use the surplus energy generated in the building across the district in the future. For this reason, the PV system was not dimensioned with the individual building in mind but made larger and the entire existing roof and facade area as well as the roof areas of the carports were used. 

One main goal of the project is to considerably increase the self-consumption of the buildings PV installation, supplying all the buildings energy needs from its own, self-generated power. With the different storage solutions that will be installed in solar.one, a lot more of the generated energy can be used on site, considerably increasing the self-consumption ratio. The sector coupling solutions (heat pumps, EV charging) also allow the utilization of electric energy in other sectors, like heating and mobility. This further increases the ratio of self-consumed energy. Solar.one is not only a net-positive building, where a lot of energy is generated and supplied to the grid (and being basically lost for the building and region), the project aims to show that with the intelligent utilization of storage and sector coupling most of the generated energy can be used on site and directly used by the building and its users. As such the utilization of locally generated renewable energy can be substantially increased. PV generation is volatile, as it depends on the sun shining. This traditionally means, that surplus energy that cannot currently be used on site, is fed into the grid for a comparably low compensation. Also, if there is no sunshine, all (electric) energy has to be supplied from the grid. With the storage and sector coupling solutions deployed on the site, the majority of the generated electricity can be used – even in times when the sun doesn’t shine.

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The project planning for the whole building started in 2018, construction of the building started in Q4/2019. First offices in the building where ready to use in Q4/2020. 

The whole building was designed and engineering with BIM technology (started in 2018), and as such a digital twin of the building is available at the end of the engineering process. The whole design and engineering effort was closely coordinated between the building architect, the BIM design team, the building utility design and the building energy design. Construction of the building started when the principal detail design was finished in Q4/2019. The following components have been installed in the solar.one building as part of the CSSC Lab project: thermal storage (heat and cold), battery storage (Li-Ion and Na-Ion), building core activation (utilizing the bulk mass of the building as thermal storage), EV – charging infrastructure, monitoring and load management system. Project management for the engineering phase was done by Energie Kompass GmbH, this included the design of the buildings energy and storage systems. Within these tasks the buildings PV system, the battery and thermal storages and the charging infrastructure have been defined and engineered. Project management for the construction phase was done by solar.one IMMO GmbH & CoKG. There was no general contractor for the project, all needed coordination and project management tasks have been done by the investing company, solar.one IMMO GmbH & CoKG.

The CSSC components have been installed into the building as the construction progressed. The planning for the CSSC part started in July 2020 with CSSC components installed in Q4/2020 to Q2/2021. The grand opening of the solar.one building and site is planned for October 2021. As a first part the thermal storages and the building core activation have been installed in the building and commissioned in March 2021. The second commissioned part was the monitoring and load management system in March 2021 as well. The battery storages and the EV charging infrastructure have been installed after the main building construction was finished in Q2/2021.

Biggest difficulties in the project were the coordination of the various design and engineering tasks, that have been carried out by different companies. In order to create a building where the energy system is deeply integrated in the core building functionality a close cooperation between the building architect, the PV engineer, the heating and cooling system engineer and the civil engineer had to be ensured. As all systems and components are linked on the building monitoring and load management systems a major ICT component was also part of the overall projects. Energie Kompass GmbH did lead the overall engineering process, with additional expertise coming from external suppliers and engineering partners. Ensuring a proper information flow, management of documentation revisions and communicating design decisions to all involved parties proved to be the major challenge in the process. A major boon in this context was the decision to use BIM as a design tool. This provided a digital model on a central data server where all involved parties could work together and the design status was always documented in a central place.

Definition of the concept

07-10/2020

Specification of the equipment for the public procurement process

11/2020-01/2021

Procurement of components

02/2021

Preparation of the designs for the installation and obtaining the necessary permissions

03/2021-11/2021

Purchase and installation of components

10/2021

Connection of the battery system and the charging station:

11/2021 (01/2022)

Initial operation of the demo center

01/2022

PV installation

03/2022

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The equipment of the demo installation that is co-financed within the CSSC Lab was installed by the contractor TELEM d.o.o. The contractor was selected through a public procurement process. On 4. February 2021, Municipality of Destrnik published the public procurement JN000590/2021-W01 – Supply, installation and commissioning of smart grid equipment at the facility, at the address Vintarovci 50. The due date for the submission of bids was 15. February 2021. Selected was the contractor TELEM d.o.o. with a value of the offer of 39.870 EUR without VAT. The Battery and the monitoring system of the Demo investment was partly financed by the Danube Transnational Programme, within the CSSC Lab project.

Rest of the costs, Municipality of Destrnik covered with own funds. The E-charging station and PV installation (not covered by the programme) was covered by own funds. For the PV installation there is the possibility to obtain co-financing from the Slovenian ECO Fund. The co-financing rate is currently 180 EUR/kWp of installed PV capacity. Total cost of PV system (24 kWp) was 25.854,64 €.

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Short description

The operation of the demo centre is being monitored through the Solar edge web application where the main figures can be seen; current electricity production, consumption of the produced electricity at the building, energy stored in the battery and network, level of batteries. The data is displayed and stored in real time and so the main figures can be seen for hours, days, moths and years back. The EV charging station is not connected to the Solar edge monitoring system but is monitored directly at the site – displayed directly at the controller. The TELEM company that installed the system is in communication with the CSSC Lab platform developer in order to find the optimum way on how to connect also the EV charging monitoring data to the platform.

Main figures:

  • 13,03 MWh of produced electricity since June 2022
  • 109,68 kg CO2 emissions saved (152,51 Equivalent Trees Planted)

Screen shots from the Solaredge WEB monitoring application

Solaredge mobile monitoring app

Monitoring at the location

At this moment – during the winter months, the system runs on adjusted mode that operates in a way that protects the battery. In the winter months, the solar radiation is low and only of short duration and therefor the batteries cannot be discharged and back recharged by the PV system. If a battery discharges regularly on a low, under 10 % level, and the recharge process is not efficient it can cause serious damage to the battery system. In order to prevent the battery from critical discharging the system during the winter months runs as follows – The building uses the electricity produced by PV and the rest is taken from the network. The batteries are kept charged on above 90 % of the capacity.

Lessons learnt

In regard to lessons learned from a technical aspect, it was found out that it would be feasible to upgrade the PV installation with additional modules to reach a higher power and so ensure a better efficiency of the battery use. Especially in the months where the sun radiation is low and lasting only a short time of the day, the PV installation cannot ensure enough energy to fill the batteries. In this regard it would make sense to install additional PV power – to the limits that are set by the Slovenian Regulation on Self-Supply with Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources, which sets a limit of PV installation power to 80 % of the building connection power.

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Lifetime Data
Energy today
18.36 kWh
Energy this month
253.18 kWh
Lifetime energy
35.79 mWh
Live Data

Date and time of last update: 2023-Oct-04 06:25

PV
2.27 kW
LOAD
14.33 kW
GRID
14.3 kW
STORAGE
ico_bat_100 Created with Sketch. s
13%
2.24 kW
Power and Energy
System Production:
18.61 kWh
Export
38.00 Wh
Consumption
66.36 kWh
Import
47.78 kWh
Today
Today Week Month Year Billing Cycle

Consumption Solar Production
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