A new microgrid at the Siemens corporate headquarters in Vienna, Austria, was officially completed in November 2020, with plans to provide balancing services to Austria’s electricity transmission system operator. Part of the solar PV system, with a peak capacity of 312 kW (Courtesy of Siemens) Under construction since 2019, the Siemens campus microgrid includes 312 kW at peak capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, 500 kW/500 kWh battery storage and Siemens eMobility charging stations. A Siemens Desigo building management system is also in place to adjust heating supplies during peak load periods, and a Siemens microgrid controller sits at the heart of the microgrid.

“A smart microgrid controller centrally orchestrates the connected assets and optimizes the power supply to take account of peak loads and grid capacity utilization,” said Werner Brandauer, head of business development, Siemens Smart Infrastructure Digital Grid, in a recent Siemens story .

Providing flexibility to the grid

In a future phase of the project, Siemens plans to use the microgrid to provide flexibility services via an aggregator, which will help the grid to maintain a stable frequency. This will also generate additional income for Siemens Real Estate, the internal customer of the microgrid. The battery storage system will play a role in the balancing market, but another potential source of flexibility is the electric heating used by the site’s kitchen. This kicks in only on cold days when the […]