Particularly in the initial phase of the renewable energies in Germany, energy cooperatives were a central driving force investing in the energy transition. Energy cooperatives could be founded through similiarly minded citizens who wanted to invest in renewable energy projects mainly on a regional level. Feed-in tariffs and a guaranteed feed-in of electricity into the grid enabled the long-term planning and realisation of renewable energy projects, so that energy cooperatives could safely invest. In Germany, there are currently around 900 energy cooperatives supported by more than 150.000 members managing a gross capacity of over 7 GW.

Due to the fluctuating nature of renewable energies, the energy transition requires flexible management for the consumer. Falling energy storage prices and shift-management for thermal loads are opening up great potential for those generating energy. Although a certain degree of load management for regulating consumption is needed, its use brings with it new challenges for the energy cooperatives. Having remote access to consumers is problematic for reasons of data protection and, also on the technical side, the operators are faced with enormous challenges regarding the IT infrastructure.

This is what a German-Dutch research project under the direction of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) is focusing on in the research project GRID-friends. Together with the Dutch research institute WIC and the German construction company evohaus GmbH, coordination mechanisms and a technology platform are being developed, which will enable the energy cooperatives run their plants in the best possible way. ITWM is responsible for optimising the operations management of energy storage systems and smart grid technologies, on the basis of which operating platforms and business models for various types of use will be developed, and it is the responsibilty of evohaus GmbH to test the platform and assess the business models in Germany.

Irrespective of where they are actually going to be operating, the models that have been developed are to be adaptable to differing requirements. One residential area in the Netherlands is seeking to achieve the maximum degree of utilisation of renewable energies and energy autarky. In Germany, a new residential development area with 77 housing units near Cologne has as its priority the maximum cost efficiency in terms of renewable energies.

The project with the reference number 0324046 is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) until March 2019; the research results will subsequently be made available to the public.