Neues Projekt „FlexLabQuartier“ mit 2,2 Millionen Euro gefördert
Living and working in a way that conserves resources, reduces greenhouse gases and minimizes environmental pollution: Renewable energies make an important contribution in the fight against climate change. The Software Innovation Lab at Paderborn University's "SICP - Software Innovation Campus Paderborn" is involved in the "FlexLabQuartier" project, which deals with the climate-neutral supply of energy to neighborhoods. Together with six project partners, the scientists at Paderborn University are developing solutions for the climate-friendly operation of neighborhoods, incorporating technical, social, ecological and economic aspects into their investigations. The aim is to break down barriers to transformation that exist due to a lack of economic viability or conflicts of interest. The project will start in Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL), a rural region with a strong focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, which offers particular potential for the energy transition. In three model real-world laboratories in Borchen, Bielefeld and Verl, energy-optimized neighbourhoods that are as climate-neutral as possible will be created over the next few years. The project is being funded for a period of three years with a total of 2.2 million euros from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Networking the electricity, heating and mobility sectors
The interdisciplinary project aims to show how the transformation towards sustainable neighborhoods can succeed. To this end, the scientists at Paderborn University led by Prof. Dr. Ing. Henning Meschede (Head of the Energy Systems Technology Group) and Prof. Dr. Guido Schryen (Chair of Information Systems, in particular Operations Research) are developing planning systems that support the development and operation of district networks and provide concrete recommendations for redesigning the energy system. "The result should be a cross-sectoral planning process for the efficient design and operation of neighborhoods that are as climate-neutral as possible. A particular focus here is on mapping the different and possibly conflicting interests and goals of the stakeholders in a neighborhood. We want to exploit the advantages of coupling the electricity, heating and mobility sectors to create an energy system that promotes the use of renewable energies in the district and can be operated safely and economically at the same time," says Dr. Christoph Weskamp, R & D Manager at SICP.
Challenges for industry and society
As part of the energy transition, there is a shift from fossil fuels to climate-neutral and renewable resources. In 2023, the share of renewable energies in German electricity generation was over fifty percent. In addition to a great deal of potential, this development also poses challenges for industry and society: while fossil energy can be controlled in a targeted manner, energy from renewable sources is volatile, i.e. rather unstable. "Urban areas have a high demand for energy and resources. At the same time, they have great potential for saving energy and are suitable for connecting different energy sectors with each other and thus utilizing flexibility on the demand side. To this end, the expansion of the corresponding infrastructure in the region must also be driven forward," explains Meschede.
Optimal conditions for districts in OWL
In order to remove the obstacles in a targeted manner, the project participants want to transform the supply of energy and mobility in existing neighborhoods to be climate-neutral and demonstrate their operation in a real-world laboratory. "In the past, such projects have usually failed due to a lack of economic viability, different stakeholder interests and a lack of knowledge about cross-sector energy systems," says Meschede. This is now set to change in Ostwestfalen-Lippe. As a growth region characterized by larger cities but also rural areas and a large number of companies, OWL offers optimal conditions for "FlexLabQuartier". By means of intelligently controlled flexibility - for example, targeted power generation or a change in electricity demand - the locally generated supply from renewable energies is to be kept in balance with the regional demand for energy in the districts, thus relieving and stabilizing the electrical grid. If the electricity demand in the neighborhood exceeds the amount generated at the time, certain technologies are to be used to compensate for these differences. This should ensure that the electricity generated in the region is used as locally as possible and that excessive external energy procurement is avoided. The absence of energy procurement costs and the marketing of flexibilities that are not used locally on possible energy markets in turn increases the economic efficiency of the district. "With the help of mathematical optimization, various expansion variants and operating options for an integrated energy system in the district are to be analysed and recommendations for design and action developed," explains Schryen.
In addition to Paderborn University, the project consortium includes the Energie Impuls OWL association, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, HORIZONTE-Group Technik GmbH, Westfalen Weser Netz GmbH, Westaflex GmbH and the city of Verl.
