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Energy of the future: This is how communities are revolutionizing supply!
With the “Energy Future Laboratory” project, the University of Oldenburg is researching the shared use of renewable energies in residential areas.
Energy of the future: This is how communities are revolutionizing supply!
The transformation of residential areas into energy communities is becoming increasingly important for the German energy transition. Loud uol.de The “Energy Future Laboratory” project, led by Astrid Nieße, is significantly involved in the investigation of future energy supplies in such residential areas. The focus is on the communal use of energy, especially within “energy sharing communities”.
The concept allows households, municipalities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to join forces in community energy companies. This means that renewable energy systems can be used together, which not only enables price relief for citizens, but also promotes participation in the energy transition. bee-ev.de emphasizes that despite the importance of this model, there is still a lack of legal anchoring for it in Germany.
Technological and legal challenges
The “Future Laboratory” project team has already identified necessary digital technologies for monitoring and controlling energy consumption. Attention is paid to a sensible combination of producers and consumers in order to bring the production, storage and consumption of energy in the local network into balance. Projects like Building E, one of the real-world laboratories in Oldenburg, show the practical implementation of these ideas.
A central concern of the project is the development of technologies for district energy systems. These either already exist or can be developed quickly. However, the basis is still an inadequate legal and regulatory framework for “energy sharing communities”. Proposals to improve the legal framework include the introduction of flexible electricity tariffs and the clarification of calculation models for electricity sales within communities.
The role of energy communities
Energy communities (EEGe) offer citizens, companies and public institutions the opportunity to actively participate in the production and use of renewable energies. energieforschung.de describes them as a potential key element of the energy transition as they promote local and decentralized energy supply. These communities not only increase the acceptance of renewable energy sources, but also help increase efficiency.
An important element for the chances of success of these initiatives are financing incentives and the provision of intelligent measurement systems. Experts are calling for a clear definition of the legal framework to facilitate participation in such communities.
The “Energy Future Laboratory” project, which aims to develop community infrastructure such as battery storage and photovoltaic systems, illustrates the move towards greater use of renewable sources on site. The aim is for future neighborhoods to cover their electricity and heat needs primarily through local generation - a step that not only promises economic benefits, but could also minimize the ecological footprint of those affected.