Using renewable electricity in these sectors and coupling them as much as possible holds vast potential. Visitors attending EM-Power in Munich from May 15–17 can find out all they need to know about the latest developments in this area as well as the new technologies involved and successful practical examples. The exhibition for intelligent energy use in industry and buildings puts the spotlight on professional energy customers.
“Sector coupling not only protects the climate, but paves the way for new technologies to enter the market, boosting the energy sector’s overall innovative power as a result,” says Robert Busch, CEO of the German Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne). The industry association is a premium partner of the innovation hub for new energy solutions, The smarter E Europe. “However, sector coupling requires a sound legal framework, which no longer impedes the use of green power in the heating and transportation sectors. Here, top priority must be given to reforming the taxation and levy system and introducing a national carbon price.”
Increased sector coupling allows excess solar power to be used more efficiently and more flexibly in terms of time and place in the form of heat, cooling and driving power. Electric heat pumps and decentralized heat/power-generation units combine the electricity and heating sectors (power-to- heat), while electric vehicles connect the electricity and transportation sectors. At EM-Power – the meeting point for exploring intelligent energy supply and use – exhibitors will present the sector coupling solutions already available on the market at their booths and at the Compact Energy Forum.
Heating with solar power
Excess solar power can be used in equipment like heat pumps, air-conditioning devices and charging stations for electric vehicles. Exhibitors such as Dafi and My-PV from Austria as well as Rennergy Systems from Germany’s Allgäu region will demonstrate how this works in practice by presenting their solar power solutions at EM-Power. For example, Dafi’s Smartfox Pro energy management system helps excess solar power to be used in buildings. The solution automatically redirects excess solar energy to consumers within a building, improving the self-consumption rate of the photovoltaic system. Self-consumption can be maximized significantly by connecting the technology to devices like boilers, heat pumps, infrared heaters, storage systems and even the Smartfox charging station for electric vehicles.
Another case in point is provided by My-PV. In a housing development in Vienna, for instance, the energy generated by a 47 kilowatts peak photovoltaic installation is used to support the district heating network. Here, solar energy has become so cost-effective that even the district heating system is supported by solar power.
Rennergy Systems provides system solutions for solar power and heat pumps. In addition to the photovoltaic installation, efficient energy managers, a heat pump and an integrated heating element capable of quickly heating up the buffer storage tank can be connected to the system. If the photovoltaic installation generates more energy than is required by the devices in use in the building, the excess electricity can be used to power the heat pump, for example.
Charging stations for electric vehicles
The Ruhrturm building in the German city of Essen will soon provide a shining example of how heat, electricity and the transportation sector can be coupled. In the 52,000 square meter complex, which comprises a hotel, bar, café and catering company, offices, an events and conference center and a multi-story parking garage, combined heat and power (CHP) installations generate heat for space heating and hot water as well as electricity. The building therefore already combines the heating and electricity sectors. Thanks to the high output of the CHP systems, charging stations of up to 22 kilowatts and superchargers of at least 100 kilowatts are set to be installed for use by electric vehicles in the underground parking garage and the area outside the Ruhrturm. The charging stations should ensure that the decentralized energy generated on site is used as efficiently as possible and the building’s operating costs are reduced. More information is available at the booth of Bluemove Consulting, the company responsible for planning and implementing the project.
EM-Power 2019 shines the spotlight on sector coupling
Visitors to EM-Power and the other events being held in Munich as part of The smarter E Europe can find out about other exciting projects in person. Besides the innovations being presented by exhibitors in the exhibition halls, attendees can gain further insights into the latest developments in sector coupling in the areas of electricity, heat and transportation at the Compact Energy Forum. This forum is aimed at professional energy customers – operators of residential and commercial buildings, municipal properties, neighborhoods and production facilities, as well as energy, building and facility managers, planners and consultants working in industry and real estate. Visitors also have the opportunity to discover the latest solutions in the area of combined heat and power at the Cogeneration joint booth. After all, the more it is used in sector coupling, the greater the chance of cogeneration reaching its full potential. (HCN)
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