A virtual energy plant jointly developed by Studer Innotec and OIKEN

The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) market has been evolving during the last years and represents a reliable solution for smart energy grid operators nowadays. Studer collaborates with Oiken, the local Distribution System Operator (DSO), to develop VPP capabilities according to the local Swiss regulations in the local grid using Studer systems (residential solar and storage installations) as DERs. 

According to Wikipedia, a virtual power plant (VPP) is a cloud-based distributed power plant that aggregates the capacities of heterogeneous distributed energy resources (DER) for the purposes of enhancing power generation, trading or selling power on the electricity market and demand side options for load reduction. DER assets in a VPP can include photovoltaic solar, energy storage, electric vehicle chargers, and demand-responsive devices (such as water heaters, thermostats, and appliances) with examples of virtual power plants existing in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

A VPP can support the grid in several levels.

• Power generation, the VPP can deliver peak load electricity or load-following power generation on short notice.
• Ancillary services, the VPP can help grid operators to maintain grid stability with frequency regulation, load following and operating reserve provision.
• Energy trading, the VPP aggregates heterogeneous DERs for the purpose of energy trading on the wholesale electricity markets.

We are very excited about this innovation project together with Oiken, Icare Institute and Fondation TheArk to tangibly advance energy management in support of the energy transition in Valais, Switzerland, and beyond.

With the expected continuing growth of the solar photovoltaic installation, the inverters, especially with storage will play a key role in the balance of our electrical system. Studer finds it obvious to investigate those functionalities to be ready for the future.

Initial clients for the testing phase will be engaged to assess the project’s viability, with preliminary results expected between late 2024 and early 2025.

We are looking forward to sharing some of the results with you.

Please check the official press release in French here: https://oiken.ch/medias/une-centrale-energetique-virtuelle-developpee-conjointement-par-studer-innotec-et-oiken/