ICT Integration for Buildings and Electrical Grid Wien-Aspern
The exploration of Aspern examines ways in which to realize the potential to increase energy efficiency by taking an interconnected view of the infrastructure levels of buildings and electrical power networks and to integrate renewable energy sources and storage technologies. The central objective of exploration is the creation of the overall technical concept for a selected testbed in the seaside town of Aspern, which will be implemented subsequently in the lead project. Through definition of applications, the requirements are derived for the technical overall concept, including the basic structure of the ICT architecture (hardware and software) as well as the technical infrastructure (heat pumps, photovoltaic systems, etc.).
An important aspect of a smart city is the integration and optimization of various energy-related sectors in an overall system. Previously carried-out research projects have shown that systemic combination of buildings and electrical grid affords a high potential to increase energy efficiency (e.g. reduction of peak load in buildings, use of the building as “storage” in the power grid, etc.), as long as secure communication and information are guaranteed. The project “Exploration Aspern” is concerned with the problem of networking grid and building control systems, with the integration of renewable energy sources as well as electrical and thermal storage, and it connects the relevant topics within a comprehensive technical concept. The integration of these components by using information and communication technologies provides the basis for new services: the building is able to actively participate in the electricity market and to act as a supportive element in network operations using its intrinsic storage capability. Only by bringing together the technical solutions in the different domains, building-wide management by market or network parameters is possible; conversely, disregarding the building for network operation would neglect an important component for the generation and storage of energy.
The next step is the implementation of the concept in a lead project in the seaside town of Aspern, which will be submitted in the spring of 2014. The Aspern urban lakeside is one of the largest urban development projects in Europe, which will be developed by 2030 into an urban center in Vienna with international recognition. The exploration of Aspern is therefore the direct preparation for a lead project, and its activities can begin in July 2014, after exploration. To the date of submission, four developers (EBG, BIG, WBV, and WAW) have pledged their interest in the exploration project Aspern. Until the planned submission of the lead project, discussions are held with other developers in order to ensure a broader implementation. The main objective of the exploration of Aspern is the creation of the overall technical concept for a selected testbed in the seaside town of Aspern. It includes the basic structure of the ICT architecture (hardware and software) as well as the technical infrastructure (heat pumps, photovoltaic systems, storage, etc.). In the project, five common scenarios (use cases) are defined, which are the starting point for examining the overall technical concept for feasibility and completeness. The use cases are technical applications that cover the topics of building, network and market, and they can only be implemented in an integrated and system-enhancing ICT infrastructure (in buildings, networks and at the interface of networks and buildings). Use cases are considered at the level of communication technology and at the energetic level to identify all dependencies.
Thus, the exploration results will include the elaboration of an overall technical concept consisting of ICT concept and technical infrastructure for renewable energies, the definitions of five use cases that focus on the networking of buildings, electrical grid and market under the Smart City testbeds in Aspern, the definition of economic assessment criteria for the developed applications, the mainstreaming of security & privacy aspects (e.g. data protection) in the system design, specifications (requirements specifications) by which the project results are documented in a form that can be used both as a starting point for the subsequent lead project and as an implementation guide by the industrial partners.
| Project data – Exploratin project of the 3rd Call 2012 |
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| Project start: | 07/01/2013 |
| Project end: | 06/30/2014 |
| Approved funding: | € 153.621,– |
| Total project costs: | € 414.515,– |
| Consortium |
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| Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Österreich (Consortial leader) |
| AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH |
| Energiecomfort Energie- und Gebäudemanagement GmbH |
| Wiener Netze GmbH |
| Wien Energie GmbH |