Researchers at Fraunhofer ITWM have developed a solution that allows owners of solar systems and battery systems to participate on various energy markets.
The Fraunhofer team said its solution allows for the real-time prognosis of consumption and local generation, as well as price optimization, enabling the user to buy and sell electricity at the best possible prices on the day-ahead market.
It has been deployed to the Schoonship energy community, an association of 30 floating houses with solar systems, heat pumps and battery storage located on a canal north of Amsterdam. Since January, the community has been connected to the Dutch energy and flexibility markets via the solution.
On the day-ahead market, where hourly energy prices are negotiated one day in advance, the community can now take advantage of dynamic electricity prices via Fraunhofer ITWM’s price optimization software, which is designed to take advantage of price fluctuations. The Fraunhofer team said this is made possible by the community’s sufficient flexibility and storage of its power system.
The community is also participating on the Dutch imbalance market, where prices vary every quarter of an hour, through its batteries. Fraunhofer said that in this market, a trader connected to the energy community decides every quarter of an hour whether there is a marketing opportunity, which can last for just a few minutes.
The Fraunhofer team said these connections position the energy community as a “flexible virtual power plant able to both supply and absorb energy.”
Matthias Klein-Schlößl, leader of the Green by IT team at Fraunhofer ITWM, says the Fraunhofer's vision is for the technology to become accessible to private households and businesses.
“Anyone who has a photovoltaic system, battery storage or other flexibilities such as a heat pump and electric vehicle should be able to connect and actively participate in a wide variety of energy and flexibility markets,” said Klein-Schlößl.
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