Green electricity products and energy services from VERBUND

From 5 to 7 February 2019, the European energy industry exhibition E-world energy & water presents innovative products and services of the electricity and gas sector from the areas of production, trade, transport, storage, efficiency, Smart Energy and green technologies.  VERBUND, Austria’s leading electricity company and one of the biggest producers of hydropower in Europe, presents itself in Hall 3, Stand 302. VERBUND has decades of experience in the production, trade and distribution of electricity, and has also been operational in Germany since 2000. Companies such as Volkswagen and Greenpeace Energy as well as around 160 public utility companies, distributors, industrial customers and plant operators throughout Germany number amongst our customers.

The smart way to the energy future

This year, visitors can look forward not only to the visual but also to the tangible: a redesigned exhibition stand as well as smart flexibility products and digitalisation projects, which can be discovered virtually and live – including 
• the potential of the digitalised hydropower plant 4.0 
• the functioning of the virtual VERBUND power plant for the intelligent bundling of renewable generation plants
• the extensions of the comprehensive B2B trade portal VISION

VERBUND offers at a glance

 HKN certificates of origin: Electricity generated entirely from hydropower

With 128 hydropower plants and a total output of 8,200 megawatts, VERBUND is the Number 1 for hydropower in Austria and Bavaria VERBUND is also a pioneer for the transparency of electricity origins and has had its hydropower plants certified by TÜV SÜD for more than a decade. Certificates of origin in accordance with Art. 79 of the Renewable Energy Act guarantee that the amount of green electricity sold is also actually fed into the electricity system. This system of certificates of origin provides clear proof about the origin and quality of the electricity.

Certificate of origin plus environmental measures

In addition to green electricity and certificates, VERBUND also offers business customers the option to purchase marketing rights in selected environmental measures. The projects can be marketed themselves and promoted in cooperation with regional associations and societies, for example. The environmental measures include, for example, ecological measures at power plants, such as fish bypasses. 

Innovative services 

In order to be able to guarantee the stability of the electricity supply, even during capacity fluctuations, the supply must be intelligently controlled in the future. VERBUND has innovative products and services for this:

Autotrader for automated intraday trading

Due to the enormous increase in volatility on the electricity intraday market and the requirement to act increasingly quickly and at short notice on the market, the digitalisation offensive was advanced further alongside the 24/7 trader team: The Autotrader, a software solution with automatic trade algorithm, supports dealers to react even faster to requirements and specifically to the short-notice nature of intraday trading. In this way, optimal prices can continue to be achieved in an increasingly complex market. VERBUND uses the Autotrader actively in intraday trading. VERBUND thus belongs to the group of leading European energy traders. 

Direct marketing: Profit twice from the EEG market premium model

Whether wind, water, photovoltaics or biomass: Since January 2016, direct marketing in accordance with the Renewable Energies Act (EEG) has been mandatory for all new generation facilities with a power output of 100 kilowatts or more. VERBUND takes on the direct marketing of all the green electricity produced or operators of subsidised wind, water, photovoltaic and biomass plants. Even existing plants that are still accounted for conventionally via the EEG feed-in tariff can increase their profitability significantly by switching to direct marketing.

New: We market your old Ü20 plant with the optimal business model

Around 6,000 old plants – and thus around 4,400 megawatts of generated wind power output – will no longer be eligible for EEG support from the beginning of 2021. By 2025, the figure will be 16,000 MW. Plant operators in Germany are therefore faced with major challenges – VERBUND is a strong partner at your side. We support you with the successful ongoing operation of your old plants, which thus continue to make an important contribution to the energy revolution. Together, we develop viable business models and individual solutions for fair remuneration of your sustainably produced energy after 2020.

Regional certificates as a new source of income for municipal utilities and plant operators

In order market the special value of renewable electricity from the region, the EEG 2017 provides for so-called ‘regional certificates’: since 1 January 2019, plant operators have received regional certificates from the Federal Environment Agency for the green electricity they produce, which they can resell to direct marketers. The advantage: additional revenue and a strengthening of the regional brand image. VERBUND supports municipal utilities and plant operators with the right service package. 

Virtual energy stores

Pumped storage power plants are currently the best way to store large quantities of electricity: if there is a surplus of electricity, pumping takes place and, if necessary, the turbines are started up to generate electricity. Virtual storage facilities offer precisely this market flexibility without the need to invest in a power plant of one’s own. Energy is stored temporarily in the outsourced virtual storage facility for use at a later time again as required. This innovative service offers customers the flexible, sustainable energy of the Alps to compensate for fluctuations in demand. The product range, also in combination with certificates of origin, covers different storage volumes from weekly to annual storage, thereby enabling accurate portfolio control. 

Virtual power plants

In addition to virtual storage facilities, virtual power plants offer another modern approach to managing energy flexibilities: 

Demand Response. The key to the future energy system 

The expansion of renewables is accompanied by massive fluctuations in the electricity grids. Industrial companies manage their energy flexibilities in the VERBUND Power Pool. With special offers for industry and green electricity providers, VERBUND also makes it possible for private companies to participate in the balancing energy market. At the same time, the innovative business model supports the stability of the electricity grid and thus the security of supply. 

Portfolio management

VERBUND has many years of experience with planning tools for forecasting, hedging, pricing and risk evaluation. Price and volume risks of structured products are quantified using sophisticated algorithms. Medium-sized and large industrial customers can now access this VERBUND expertise how and carry out their planning reliably and economically.

Services and support on the electricity markets

VERBUND offers market access on the short-term trading markets (spot exchange and OTC market), which includes the procurement of electricity products in ¼-hour intraday trading through to the day-ahead market. Market access is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In addition, VERBUND can take over the management of balancing groups, including timetable management accurate to the quarter hour, needs assessment, determination and billing of balancing energy.

E-Mobility: Managed Infrastructure for Public Utilities and Utilities

In line with this year’s E-world focus topic “Mobility”, VERBUND has expanded its product portfolio and is presenting 360-degree e-mobility solutions for Managed Infrastructure together with SMATRICS, the VERBUND joint venture and e-mobility market leader in Austria. This enables municipal utilities and energy suppliers to become e-mobility providers for their customers at the press of a button.