The principle of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk®

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® supplies energy as reliably as conventional power plants - but clean and sustainable.

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^®: clean energy. Demand-driven, predictable, renewable.

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® can completely replace large, conventional power plants. It produces electricity from wind and solar energy, as well as green hydrogen and heat. The electricity produced is not only fed directly into the European grid but is also linked to electricity and heat storage facilities, as well as plants for hydrogen reconversion.

In this way, the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® is able to supply renewable energy in line with demand and predictably. As the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® is not only capable of black start, but also offers all system services, it can also stabilize the electricity grid.

How the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® works.

ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® are directly connected energy plants, i.e. without a public grid. These produce electricity from wind and solar energy, which flows primarily into the transmission grid. The surplus electricity is stored, for example in a battery, as green hydrogen or in the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^®. The storage units supply the electricity sector when too little wind and solar power can be produced.

Primary energy from wind and sun

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® generates large quantities of sustainable electricity from wind and solar energy.

Network infrastructure

The electricity is collected in hybrid form in local grids, forwarded to the central substation via substations within the area of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® and fed into the transmission grid there as a priority. Hydrogen pipelines and heat pipes can also be part of the local interconnected power plant grid infrastructure.

Conversion and storage

Surplus energy is stored, for example in batteries, with the help of an electrolyzer as green hydrogen or in wind heat storage systems. In contrast to other energy producers, ENERTRAG does not shut down its wind power and photovoltaic systems during periods of darkness. In the event of bottlenecks in the electricity grid, the stored green hydrogen can be converted back into electricity.

Control centre

The control centre is the central monitoring and control unit of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk®. All systems are directly connected to it via control lines. From the control room, a team continuously monitors the operation of the entire combined power plant and its components. This includes energy generation, conversion, distribution and grid connection.

The system is controlled using the ENERTRAG Powersystem software developed in-house.

Utilization

The electricity is fed into the transmission grid as scheduled electricity via a single large substation so that households and industry can utilize it. The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® also guarantees all the necessary system services, such as black start capability, peak load coverage and the provision of balancing energy. The surplus electricity is stored as green hydrogen, for example, flows into the future hydrogen grid and can also be used by industry. Green hydrogen can also be further refined into hydrogen derivates such as ammonia or methanol. Further, surplus electricity can be used for local heat supply.

Important to know

The different and fluctuating generation patterns of wind energy and photovoltaic systems balance each other out in the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk®. This enables a constant, predictable and demand-orientated power supply.

ENERTRAG uses electricity from wind and sun as well as green hydrogen to create modern renewable power plants that supply people and regions.

What benefits does an ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® offer?

As natural resources, wind and sun are available in unlimited supply. At least in theory. Unfavorable weather conditions, which can - supposedly - lead to bottlenecks in the energy supply, are often cited as a weak point of renewable energies.

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® balances out these fluctuations over the course of the day or year. Through the hybridization of wind and solar energy and the use of storage systems. Dark doldrums are absorbed by reconversion and other energy storage systems. The systems do not have to be curtailed.

If there is too little wind, for example, this gap is filled first by photovoltaics, then by the battery and finally by reconverting green hydrogen into electricity. Fluctuations are therefore stored within the ^®. The power fed into the grid is stable at all times.

The result? The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® generates energy on demand according to schedule.

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® produces electricity entirely from renewable sources. Electricity that cannot be utilized directly in the electricity sector is fed into the battery or electrolysis or used for heat production. The energy produced can therefore be fully utilized.

What happens if the grid fails completely? Traditionally, hydroelectric power plants in Germany, but also decommissioned lignite-fired power plants, are used for a black start in the event of major blackouts. This is maintenance-intensive, expensive and requires complex coordination in the event of an emergency. ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® is different: it is capable of black starts, which means that it can restore the power system independently. It utilizes stored solar and wind power for this purpose.

Some people think that public grids must be built for the energy transition. ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® follows a different logic: it relies on its own collection grids, which collects wind and solar power in hybrid form. Compared to the redundant expansion of the public grid, the expansion of the grid between the energy plants is significantly more cost-effective.

Not every wind energy or photovoltaic system will have to have its own grid connection in future. Thanks to the portfolio effect of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^®, grid expansion can be significantly lower.

What's more, all operating resources can be utilized to the limits of their capacity thanks to temperature monitoring. This also saves costs.

ENERTRAG provides a central hub for the distribution of energy into the European grid. This is the transformer station, coupled with an electrolyzer, large battery storage and hydrogen reconversion plant. A self-developed control system ensures a continuously adjustable energy flow from the generation plants into the electricity and gas grid.

The hybridization of wind and solar enables higher capacity utilization. As a result, electricity is fed into the transmission grid and hydrogen into the gas grids as required.

The Powersystem software, developed by ENERTRAG controls, monitors and analyses the information in the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^®. It automates recurring processes, uncovers weak points that are not recognized by the SCADA system of the energy plants, generates reports and displays potential for improvement. In addition, the ENERTRAG Powersystem streamlines processes and makes them transparent.

"A constant and reliably predictable energy supply from renewable energy sources - that's what the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® is."

Jörg Müller

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ENERTRAG SE

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® brings structure to the energy transition.

ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® provides renewable energy in line with demand and predictably, and stabilizes the electricity grid. They can completely replace conventional power plants in the future. This makes ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® an important component of the energy transition and a key element on the road to CO2 neutrality.

Structure instead of chaos

ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® brings order to the energy transition. Because contrary to the widespread opinion that the energy transition will inevitably lead to chaos from countless decentralized and confusing components, ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^®is organizing the clean energy supply of the future.

Fossil-free and economical

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® is the sustainable solution for the energy transition. By combining wind, sun and green hydrogen, they open up solutions to climate change by combining flexibility, predictability, stability and cost-effectiveness with sustainable, fossil-free energy generation.

Achieving expansion targets

Many countries have enshrined their climate targets in law. Germany aims to be climate-neutral by 2045. By combining electricity from wind power and photovoltaics with the production of green hydrogen and the provision of heat, this target can be achieved and a predictable output in the gigawatt range can be provided. ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® takes over all important system functions, ensuring grid stability.

Building on experience

While other energy companies have yet to develop integrated power plants, ENERTRAG has been building on practical experience for around 25 years. ENERTRAG has comprehensive expertise in all areas along the value chain for renewable energies: project development and securing sites, technical and commercial operation, service, control, monitoring and analysis using ENERTRAG's Powersystem software, as well as participation and investment solutions.

ENERTRAG is shaping the next phase of the energy transition.

The prototype in Uckermark

The energy future has already begun on 40 square kilometers in the Uckermark region. Here, the prototype of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk^® demonstrates in practice that the systemic networking of individual components can completely replace conventional fossil-fuelled power plant sites. Modular, scalable and globally realizable.

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk®

The prototype for clean energy supply

622

MW

nominal output from wind energy

600

km

of power lines in our own portfolio

560

kW

electrolysis

22

MW

battery storage

24

MW

nominal output from solar energy

The ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® Uckermark in detail

Learn more about the individual components of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® and gain insights into project planning, construction and operation.

The energy flow

The path of energy from the wind turbine to utilization.

Project development

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ENERTRAG provides support in all matters relating to the development of a combined power plant.

ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® Uckermark

The prototype of the ENERTRAG Verbundkraftwerk® shows that networking individual components can completely replace fossil power plants.