New "FlexLabQuartier" project sponsored with 2.2 million euros
Living and working in a resource-efficient way, reducing greenhouse gases and minimising 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 neighbourhoods. Together with six project partners, Paderborn University researchers are developing solutions for the climate-friendly operation of neighbourhoods, 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 characterised by 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-optimised neighbourhoods that are as climate-neutral as possible will be created over the next few years. The project is being funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a total of 2.2 million euros over a period of three years.
Networking the electricity, heating and mobility sectors
The interdisciplinary project aims to show how the transformation towards sustainable neighbourhoods can succeed. To this end, researchers at Paderborn University led by Prof. Dr 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 neighbourhood networks and provide specific recommendations for transforming the energy system. "The result should be a cross-sectoral planning process for the efficient design and operation of neighbourhoods 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 neighbourhood. We want to exploit the advantages of coupling the electricity, heating and mobility sectors to create an energy system that sponsors the use of renewable energy in the neighbourhood 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 per cent. In addition to a great deal of potential, this development also harbours 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 centres have a high demand for energy and resources. At the same time, they harbour great savings potential and are suitable for connecting different energy sectors with each other and thus utilising flexibility on the demand side. The expansion of the corresponding infrastructure in the region must also be driven forward to achieve this," explains Meschede.
Optimal conditions for neighbourhoods in OWL
In order to remove the obstacles in a targeted manner, the project participants want to redesign the supply of energy and mobility in existing neighbourhoods to be climate-neutral and demonstrate their operation in a real-life 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 characterised by large cities as well as rural areas and a large number of companies, OWL offers ideal conditions for "FlexLabQuartier". Intelligently controlled flexibilities - for example, targeted electricity generation or a change in electricity demand - are intended to keep the locally generated supply from renewable energies in balance with the regional demand for energy in the neighbourhoods and thus relieve and stabilise the electricity grid. If the electricity demand in the neighbourhood exceeds the amount generated at the time, certain technologies are 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 will in turn increase the economic efficiency of the neighbourhood. "With the help of mathematical optimisation, various expansion variants and operating options for an integrated energy system in the neighbourhood 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.
