Energy communities enable new ways of jointly generating, storing and using renewable energy, and in many respects are pioneers of the energy transition. As the expansion of renewables continues, seasonal energy storage in the form of renewable gases also becomes more important to transfer energy from high-production summer months to high-consumption winter months. In addition to this physical necessity, seasonal storage also enables an increase in the degree of self-sufficiency and security of supply for energy communities.
In the research project SeasonalStorage4EG, the added value of seasonal storage for energy communities will be presented through intensive exchange with energy communities - such as that of the municipality of Gampern - and other stakeholders. In addition, the current legal framework and associated regulatory barriers will be highlighted, for which the Energy Institute at JKU Linz will contribute the necessary expertise to the project. As a gas storage operator, the consortium leader RAG Austria AG has many years of experience with seasonal energy storage and is contributing its technical and energy management know-how to the consortium.
As a result, recommendations for adapting regulation to facilitate the integration of seasonal energy storage into energy communities will be derived from the data collected in the project. This should set the course for supporting energy communities in their important pioneering role in the energy transition.
RAG Austria AG (RAG) is Austria's largest energy storage company and one of Europe's leading technical storage operators. Our core business is the storage of energy. The storage capacity operated by RAG amounts to around 6.3 billion m³, which corresponds to more than 71 TWh. RAG makes a significant contribution to the security of energy supply in Austria and Central Europe. RAG has been committed to the development of seasonal storage options for renewable energies for many years. RAG has therefore initiated and successfully developed globally recognized innovative research and demonstration projects with the Underground Sun Storage (USS + USS2030) and Underground Sun Conversion (USC + USC - FlexStore) technologies.
The Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz (EI-JKU) is an interdisciplinary research institute with extensive expertise in the fields of energy law, energy economics and energy technology and conducts research in these three areas. EI-JKU is a research institute that focuses on applied legal and economic issues.
The municipality of Gampern (Vöcklabruck district in Upper Austria) is a very innovative municipality that has been taking many measures in the area of sustainability for over 12 years. For example, almost every public building has its own photovoltaic system including battery storage and the street lighting has been powered by the surplus electricity from these systems since 2021. In September 2022, the decision was finally made to establish an energy community with all public buildings and clubs in the municipality of Gampern. The next step towards seasonal storage fits in with the municipality's overall concept and will support energy self-sufficiency.
01/2024-12/2024
The project is funded by the BMK as part of the FFG funding program Energie.Frei.Raum (3rd call).
