Austria is leading the way with a new shared battery concept for energy communities
A trendsetting project shows how energy communities can share a CellCube vanadium redox flow energy storage system
Wiener Neudorf, Austria, October 27th, 2021 – Enerox GmbH (CellCube) has signed a contract for the energy community project ‘EnErGieWerk Weiz’. The initiative demonstrates how a vanadium redox flow battery can be optimally shared by a community that contributes energy from roof-top solar systems and that includes local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The project is part of the Austrian ‘Energy of the Future’ (Energie der Zukunft) program that supports the transition towards sustainable energy systems and will be realized in the future-oriented city of Weiz, in the province of Styria.
Redox flow batteries allow for storing energy over longer time periods. This is key for making best use of the locally generated renewable energy. The new approach goes one step further and enables the energy community to participate at the same time in the electricity market by offering grid services to stabilize the energy system and applying price optimization through trading at the energy exchange. The objective of the project is to identify key economic levers and propose modifications that could make the concept a blueprint for other energy communities. In the future, the approach could be complemented by adding emergency power functionalities.
“In the near future, it will be key to combine different business models with one energy storage system. This is when vanadium redox flow batteries enter the stage,” emphasizes Alexander Schönfeldt, CEO of Enerox GmbH (CellCube). “As vanadium redox flow battery market leaders, we are very proud to participate in this trendsetting project.”
Austria has managed to take the lead in regard of innovative concepts for the electricity markets – also because it has consistently implemented the EU renewable energy directive 2018/2001 into Austrian legislation. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) helps companies to drive innovation in the field of renewables and the “Energy of the future” program is one main tool.
Contact: Yvonne Steinhäusser, Yvonne.Steinhaeusser@cellcube.com +43 676 843 669 126
About CellCube – Enerox GmbH
Under its trademark ‘CellCube’ the Austrian based Enerox GmbH develops, manufactures and distributes vanadium redox flow batteries. ‘VRFB’s’ are sustainable, long-duration energy storage systems, improving and securing the consumption of energy from renewable sources. Enerox is a developing pioneer and the global technology and industry leader in its field of operation. The bankable VRFB systems suite various microgrid applications alongside four focussed business segments: renewable energy storage for industrial customers, commercial and private deployment, green energy storage for remote microgrids and island solutions as well as long-term back-up systems for green and critical infrastructure facilities. CellCube systems are currently operating in over 130 sites on the planet. www.cellcube.com