GOFLEX trial partner SWW Wunsiedel and SIEMENS together operate the largest battery grid storage in Bavaria and open the "House of the Energy Future" next to the SWW headquarters.

Wunsiedel is a small town with 20.000 citizens but has developed into one of the most innovative energy regions in Europe.

Back in 2003 the mayor of the town, Karl-Willi Beck together with the CEO of the municipality owned utility SWW Marco Krasser decided to supply the region with 100% renewable energies based on regional energy generation, which was unthinkable for most people at that time.

In 2016, SWW joined the GOFLEX consortium to demonstrate how a fully decentralised energy system based on renewables can be organised with regional energy and flexibility markets and a high participation of private and commercial prosumers.

On February, 5th 2018 another milestone was achieved. SWW together with SIEMENS  will operate the largest battery grid storage (8,4 MW) and earn money with trading flexibility on the primary reserve market.

SIEMENS CTO  and board member Dr. Roland Busch had invited representatives from politics, science and energy economy to the newly founded "House of the Energy Future" in Wunsiedel to discuss the consequences and implications of a future energy system based on renewables.

In his opening speech he emphasised the importance of decentralised energy systems - also for SIEMENS as a business that needs to be enhanced.

"The future energy system might consist of many Wunsiedels" he concluded his speech. "Consumers need simpler business models to become prosumers" said EON head of Customer Service, Dr. Wolfgang Noetel. "Bavaria needs more Wunsiedels!", Bavarian State Secretary Franz Josef Pschierer urged.

Local press, TV and radio stations showed a lot of interest in this unusual event at the Bavarian countryside.

 

 

Also, SIEMENS published an artice on Wunsiedel in its magazine, as we reported here.