The potential of hybrid energy grids for smart cities

Nine partner organizations from Germany, Austria, and Sweden have participated in the OrPHEuS research project and investigated the concept of hybrid energy grids as a way to increase the usage of renewable energy in urban areas. The goal was to create a resilient and flexible grid in a cost-effective manner.

Illustration

Hybrid energy grids are systems in which existing individual grids (e.g. electricity, district heating and gas) are interconnected. The system consists of two key elements:

  • Coupling Points, e.g gas boilers (gas-to-heat), heat pumps (electricity-to-heat) and gas power plants (gas-to-electricity);
  • Controlling Infrastructure.

The OrPHEuS consortium tried to develop a suitable control architecture and analyse the benefits of the proposed system. The new technology has been deployed in two demonstration sites. The consortium claims that the coupling of electric and heating grids controlled by adapted control systems allowed for an increased use of distributed renewable energy sources in a cost-efficient manner.

 

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Article source Refocus - website of the Amercican magazine Renewable Energy Focus
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