First of all, research will be conducted to develop new energy services in order to improve local integration and exchange of (renewable) energy. Within the regulatory sandbox, the aim is to locally produce as much renewable energy as possible and exchange surpluses efficiently.
For example, the new parking building at Thor Park has a large roof surface suitable for solar panels, but relatively low consumption. Thor Central, the historic main building of the mine, cannot install solar panels itself, but consumes a lot of energy. An exchange between both buildings is not permitted under current regulations, but within a regulatory framework, experimental legislation can be agreed upon in consultation with the Flemish government, energy regulators, grid operators and a local market operator, which will be tested in practice for a certain period of time. This way, the impact and any unexpected side effects are mapped so that global, new regulations can be adjusted before they become generally applicable.
Secondly, the researchers will experiment with an innovative thermal network to optimally integrate renewable sources. For example, the consumption of the heat pumps will be matched to peaks in solar and wind energy in order to simultaneously produce, store heat and cold and then use them efficiently where necessary.
Thirdly, innovative DC grids or direct current connections are deployed. Currently, an electricity network traditionally operates on alternating voltage, while solar panels, batteries, LED lighting, computers, etc. operate on direct current, so adapters or inverters are required, with the necessary losses as a result. The EnergyVille 1 building has been experimenting with direct current for some time, one of EnergyVille's ambitions is to extend this further to the entire Thor Park. This way, the necessary technical solutions and regulations can be worked out and tested so that manufacturers can ultimately bring standardized and safe products to the market.
“The recognition of Thor Park as a regulatory sandbox will allow us to gain insights that will support energy policy. Experiments can be conducted with technological innovations from, with and for Flemish companies without regulatory obstacles. This allows Flanders to position internationally as a model of innovation in the field of energy ”, says Ronnie Belmans, CEO of Campus EnergyVille.
This paper compares the source to sink efficiencies of hydrogen-based heat supply system to a district heating system operating on the same primary energy source.
