Work package 5

Pilot & Development in the midlands

Work package leader:Prof. Jürg Rohrer, ZHAW

Within the EDGE project, WP5 is focused on demonstrating the integration of large shares of renewable energy into the energy landscape of a typical rural to peri-urban municipality in the Swiss plateau. The town of Wittenbach (SG) was selected to demonstrate and implement a variety of proven technologies at scale, due to its suitable energy system including a well-documented energy concept and political support for the EDGE-project. Wittenbach already boasts a sizeable district heating network fed by energy wood, as well as further plans for the usage of local agricultural biomass.

In the scope of WP5, the consortium facilitates the creation of an energy supply in Wittenbach that integrates a high share of renewable energy. We are actively working on increasing the electricity generation by rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. After analyzing rooftop potentials in Wittenbach, owners of promising buildings are being contacted directly to offer help with planning and procurement. At the same time, plans for more local energy generation and closing of nutrient cycles using locally available biomass are actively supported by the project team with technical and system level investigations.

Further activities include the in-depth analysis of the current energy system in Wittenbach and its possible development in the coming years, focusing on the questions central to the integration of renewable energies. These include various energy storage options (electric and other), demand-side-management (DSM), measures to increase energy efficiency, adoption of electric vehicles, renewable space-heating solutions, and microgrids. Technical considerations are enhanced with approaches from social sciences, e.g. surveys and workshops with key stakeholders.

(start: M22, duration: 50 months)