Jena (dpa/th) - How cities can be supplied with electricity and heat in the future is to be demonstrated in a project in Jena. The federal government is funding the implementation of the project over a period of five years with around 20.4 million euros, the public utility company in Jena announced on Friday. This means that by 2027, large electrical storage systems as well as photovoltaic and solar thermal systems will be installed across the city.
These energy generators and storage facilities are to be networked via a digital infrastructure and thus connected to form a virtual power plant. In this way, they can be controlled in a highly flexible manner depending on the respective load distribution in the network. The city of Jena has set itself the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035. "In the best case, we can serve as a role model with our project for how a fossil-free future is possible," says Jena's Mayor Thomas Nitzsche.
The project is interdisciplinary. Suppliers and network operators, municipalities, industry, the housing industry, science and a social association work together.
