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Battery Storage as a Strategic Investment
Modern battery storage systems offer municipalities a wide range of applications to reduce costs, increase grid stability, and future-proof local energy supply. Key use cases include increasing self-consumption and reducing peak loads. Battery systems can balance peak demand by providing energy at short notice, thereby relieving pressure on the grid. This leads to significant energy cost reductions and eases the burden on municipal infrastructure.
In addition, battery storage opens up further economically attractive options for municipalities: they can contribute to grid services, ensure emergency and backup power supply, improve power quality, and reduce long-term grid expansion costs.
Thanks to technological advances, today’s battery systems can last up to 20 years, while acquisition costs have fallen significantly in recent years. Their wide range of applications makes them a sustainable and economically sound investment for municipalities aiming for a stable, cost-efficient, and climate-friendly energy future.
E-Mobility as an Opportunity
E-mobility offers municipalities an effective way to make the transport sector more climate-friendly, reduce CO₂ emissions, and lower the operating costs of municipal vehicle fleets. By using electric vehicles, cities and municipalities not only contribute actively to climate protection but also benefit economically in the long term.
A particularly efficient solution is the combination of e-mobility with photovoltaic systems. With smart charging, load, and energy management systems, charging processes can be aligned with solar power generation. This enables the sustainable use of renewable energy and significant cost savings by using affordable, self-generated electricity. This reduces both electricity procurement costs and fuel expenses.
If charging primarily takes place in the evening or at night, battery storage systems can further improve efficiency. Integrated into an energy management system, solar power generated during the day can be stored and used specifically for vehicle charging. Many modern systems are already optimized for e-vehicles and allow for easy and cost-effective implementation within municipal operations.
Investments in e-mobility and sustainable charging infrastructure pay off for municipalities – both financially and ecologically.
Municipal Heating Supply: Sustainable, Efficient, and Future-Proof
The heating sector is one of the largest energy consumers and plays a central role in the municipal energy transition. A sustainable heating supply enables municipalities to reduce CO₂ emissions, lower long-term energy costs, and improve energy security.
Photovoltaics and Heat Pumps: Efficient Solutions for Heating and Cooling
Photovoltaic systems can significantly reduce the energy demand for heating, hot water, and air conditioning. Particularly efficient is the combination with heat pumps, which use renewable environmental energy and represent an eco-friendly alternative to fossil heating systems. Modern reversible heat pumps not only provide heating but can also be used to cool municipal buildings such as town halls, schools, or administrative offices.
PV also offers great potential for cooling: refrigeration units and air conditioning systems can be powered directly with solar electricity, especially delivering economic benefits in the summer. Innovative storage solutions—such as lowering temperatures in cold storage or using building mass for thermal storage (concrete core activation)—also contribute to efficient heating and cooling. These measures increase PV self-consumption and reduce municipal building operating costs.
Municipal Heating Planning: Legal Requirements
As of January 1, 2024, the Act on Heat Planning and the Decarbonization of Heating Networks (WPG) is in effect. It requires municipalities to develop systematic and area-wide heat planning strategies to ensure a climate-neutral heat supply. The aim is to gradually replace decentralized fossil heating systems with climate-friendly alternatives.
Heating accounts for over 50% of total energy consumption in Germany and is currently still based about 80% on fossil fuels such as gas and oil. This dependency on imported fossil fuels presents not only climate policy challenges but also economic risks due to price fluctuations. Strategic municipal heat planning helps identify the most cost-effective and practical path to a sustainable, affordable, and long-term secure heat supply.
Municipalities have the opportunity to actively drive the energy transition with innovative concepts and sustainable technologies—for the benefit of local economies, residents, and municipal budgets.