Oiken and Studer Innotec develop virtual power plant
Oiken and Studer Innotec are developing a project to improve the control and use of photovoltaic systems and battery storage in private homes and neighbourhoods for the entire electricity grid. The Ark Foundation is providing financial support.
According to a press release , the Valais energy supplier Oiken and Studer Innotec are launching an innovation project to utilise photovoltaic systems and battery storage for the general power supply through a virtual power plant. The aim is to make the best possible use of and optimise variable and unplanned electricity generation in private homes or neighbourhoods. The project, which is financially supported by The Ark Foundation, is being developed in collaboration with the Icare Institute in Sierre VS. The test phase will begin in 2024.
The aim of the project is to bring together small energy producers with the combined output of a large power plant to create a virtual power plant (VPP), according to the press release from Oiken. The accelerated development of decentralised and unplanned energy generation from photovoltaic systems (PV systems) in “residential power plants” is fundamentally changing the management and control of the electricity grid.
According to solar statistics, PV systems with a total capacity of 4.7 gigawatts were installed in 2022, producing 3.8 terawatt hours or 6.7 per cent of Switzerland’s electricity consumption. The proportion of solar energy generated already exceeds the proportion of other energy sources such as gas, hydropower or biomass during the day in summer.
At a local level, such as single-family homes, the aim is to improve self-consumption and optimise the feeding of electricity back into the grid by making the best possible use of batteries. At the next level up, such as a neighbourhood, the project focuses on the development of intelligent energy management for several systems. At the level of the region or the DSO (distribution network operator), the aim is to evaluate and combine local flexible power generation using a VPP solution.