Ansbach district energy utilization plan takes shape
In purely mathematical terms, more electricity is generated from renewable sources in the district of Ansbach than is consumed here. But will this remain the case when more and more e-cars are on the roads? And will electricity have to be curtailed more and more often in future because the grids can no longer cope? Representatives from local authorities, utilities and the Ansbach district office are currently addressing questions such as these as part of the energy usage plan being drawn up under the leadership of the Ansbach district. By the fall of this year, the resulting data will be made available to the 58 municipalities in the district of Ansbach for their municipal heating planning. The energy use plan will thus provide information on what is needed locally to make the energy transition a success.
A steering group was set up specifically for the creation of the energy use plan in 2024, which regularly exchanges information and actively participates in the creation process. "Various scenarios are used, for example, to look at how the expansion of the various renewable energies will develop," reports Lena Navarro Ortiz, Climate Protection Manager at Ansbach District Office. The starting point for the considerations is energy and grid data from seven municipal utilities in the district of Ansbach and N-Ergie, which are provided for the creation of the energy use plan. They show, for example, that considerable amounts of electricity are exported from the district of Ansbach. Theoretically, according to the findings to date, this electricity could also be used to produce hydrogen via electrolysers. The current quantities would be sufficient to cover the electricity demand that is currently imported into the district.
Another variable is the question of how the expansion of wind power will develop. Here too, the energy utilization plan works with realistic scenarios. It is relatively certain that the transformer stations will need to be expanded in order to avoid large-scale curtailments in the future.
Caption: In the steering group, representatives of the municipalities, the utilities and the Ansbach district office regularly discuss the progress of the energy utilization plan with the employees of the commissioned institute.
Photo: Ansbach District Office/Josephine Georgi