Siemens Campus Microgrid
The Siemens Campus Microgrid is an intelligent system for the optimization of the electricity and heating demand on the company’s premises in the Viennese district of Floridsdorf. It consists of photovoltaic power generation, e-charging infrastructure, battery storage and the microgrid controller. Next to a safe and reliable provision of electrical energy, it simultaneously reduces the CO2 footprint and electricity peaks.The project executed in combination with the infrastructure of an existing industrial enterprise is a game-changer. The showcase demonstrates the behavior and the benefits of microgrids using Microgrid Control – a SICAM application under real-time operating conditions. Thanks to encompassing data collection and analysis, it allows for research on the solutions of the future.
Furthermore, the Siemens building management system Desigo has also been integrated, making it possible to adjust the amount of heating provided to the main building in the event of electricity peaks, and thus optimizing the volume of power drawn for the campus.
Our campus project, which has been executed in combination with the infrastructure of an existing industrial enterprise, is the first of its kind. It offers ample space for innovative research and new, concrete solutions.Wolfgang Hesoun, CEO Siemens Austria
Around 100 tons of CO2 per year can be saved by the integrated photovoltaic systems, which span a total area of 1,600 m2.
Furthermore, the Siemens showcase highlights how intelligent load management components can contribute to the integration of electric mobility and photovoltaic power generation, without the need for further grid expansion.
A battery storage solution is used in combination with the microgrid controller to manage electricity peaks. This enables the realization of future-oriented solutions for e-car parks and electric vehicle charging management on the basis of existing consumption behavior.
Siemens Campus Microgrid Key Figures
- Photovoltaic systems: Total area of currently 1,600 m2 and peak performance of 312 kWp
- Battery storage: Capacity 500 kWh, output: 500 kW
- Fire protection for battery storage: Extinguishing system Sinorix
- Charging stations for electric vehicles
- Desigo building management system
- Microgrid Control – a SICAM application running on a SICAM A8000 platform
- Additional feature: Pre5G campus network pilot installation in cooperation with the partners A1 and Nokia
The Siemens Campus Microgrid in 100 seconds
"Guided Tour" with Werner Brandauer, Business Development Digital Grid CEEThe components of the Siemens Campus Microgrid
Thanks to the smart coupling of generation and consumption, microgrids counter the necessity of having to enlarge the supply of electric energy, reduce the required volume of energy delivered and furthermore offer improved service security.Gerd Pollhammer, Head of Siemens Smart Infrastructure CEE
Microgrid controller at the core
The Microgrid Control - a SICAM application is the brain of the Campus Microgrid. The application runs on the SICAM A8000 platform which is globally used in substation application. This high-performance management system creates the pre-requirements for coordinated and optimized operation. It manages a total output of around 2 MW, which roughly corresponds to the energy consumption rate of 700 households. The controller integrates all functionalities and optimizes the power supply with regard to electricity peaks, renewables generation and further influencing factors. Data from the individual components, the grid connection point and the power generating units is measured and transferred – in total around 1,000 measured values from 34 devices. Amongst others, the weather forecast, and the expected charging behavior are also considered. The higher-order optimization, visualization and operation will in future be installed using the IoT-based cloud system Distributed Energy Optimization (DEOP). A broad range of the measured data and influencing factors are visualized at the Visitor & Advanced Service Center in the Siemens City Vienna.
Intelligent charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and future-oriented charging management
This showcase demonstrates how a microgrid can contribute to integrating electric mobility into the existing local distribution network without the need for further grid infrastructure expansion. Data is collected from most of the charging stations, which are also managed. This is required to enable a corresponding electricity peak management and will in future also allow for a response regarding the demands of higher-order grids. Information on the charging behavior of the vehicles is collected simultaneously. As electric mobility becomes more popular, this will in future be of greater interest for industrial enterprises with employee car parks, for multi-storey car parks, park-and-ride facilities or for shopping malls and major residential neighbourhoods. Thanks to intelligent charging, the capacity can be influenced during charging and can be used, in combination with the microgrid controller, to optimize electricity load peaks across the entire grid. A wide range of different Siemens e-charging solutions for every power range is used in the microgrid. They include the Compact Power Charger with an output of 50 kW DC and a modular, scalable busbar solution for garages. Thanks to this solution, each new e-car simply requires the addition of another charging box to the busbar. The electric charging infrastructure can therefore organically grow in tandem with the development of electric mobility.
Photovoltaic system
The photovoltaic systems integrated into the microgrid currently span an area of 1600 m2. With their peak performance of 312 kWp they help to save around 100 tons of CO2 per year and therefore significantly reduce the CO2 footprint of the company. The harnessed energy is fed into the campus grid by means of KACO inverters, thus increasing the share of renewables used to power the campus. Under ideal sunny conditions, the PV systems account for around 8 % of the connected load of the business locations.
Battery storage
In addition to the photovoltaic systems, a 500 kWh battery storage unit has also been installed. It features roughly the battery capacity of five electric vehicles, each with a range of 600 km. The battery storage serves to reduce load peaks during the drawing of electric energy from the supply grid and to thus lower the capacity costs. It simultaneously helps to maximize the utilization of locally generated electricity. Load prognoses, which are as precise as possible, are required for a successful operation. This is done to ensure that the battery storage is not empty, when it is actually needed. The storage solution should in future also be used to participate in the electricity balancing market.
Fire protection for battery storage
A Siemens Sinorix extinguishing system was installed for the storage facility based on the recognized fire protection concept for stationary lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. This fire protection concept was developed by Siemens with extensive test series and is so far the only one with VdS-certification.
Just like the main building of the business location represented the state of the art for sustainability and energy efficiency at the time of its opening in 2010, the current project will now pave the way towards intelligent energy management solutions.Franz Mundigler, Head of Siemens Real Estate Central Europe
Additional features
What is a microgrid
Microgrids enable the mastering of the growing challenges related to a safe and reliable provision of energy. They can simultaneously optimize the energy budget and reduce the CO2 footprint. These intelligent section-spanning grids manage an increased energy demand – for example triggered by e-mobility – and the corresponding peak loads. Thanks to the local coupling of generation and consumption, the necessity of having to invest into a grid expansion is reduced. Furthermore, they offer improved service security in the event of a blackout. Microgrids can be operated both on-grid and off-grid, revolutionizing the way we manage our energy resources.
