Over half the population of Germany live in the countryside, but the power lines supplying many rural areas are outdated. In the coming years, they will need to be replaced with smart grids that maximise the potential of local, sustainable energy sources if the country is to achieve its target of climate neutrality by 2045.

The partners in the RIGRID project (short for Rural Intelligent Grid), namely the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF), Harz-Regenerativ-Druiberg e.V. and RegenerativKraftwerke Harz RKWH GmbH, aim to supply the regions with electricity that is affordable and eco-friendly via a distributed smart grid model that integrates local energy producers and can be independent of central electricity suppliers.

A local grid and management system has already been developed and tested in Dardesheim, in the Harz region of Saxony-Anhalt, and in the village of Puńsk in Poland. In Puńsk, the pilot microgrid integrates the local sewage treatment plant, a photovoltaic system and a battery energy storage system. Not only did it succeed in reducing CO2 emissions but it also won over local residents after initial scepticism.

“Smart grids help coordinate the fluctuating supply of electricity from renewable sources, among other things,” says Professor Przemyslaw Komarnicki, manager of the Fraunhofer IFF’s Department of Energy Systems and Infrastructure in a press release. A user-friendly 3D design tool was developed for the pilot which enables local operators and residents to design their energy supply system. “Specifically, users [can] model and view costs, the carbon footprint and dependence on the public grid if photovoltaic systems were installed atop every roof in the village,” says Komarnicki in the release. The residents can also ask more complex questions such as, “How many jobs can sustainable energy supply systems create in a small community?”