Innovation at VERBUND

Digital Hydropower Generation

Digital Hydropower Generation is continuing the successful digitalisation initiative by introducing positively evaluated and fully developed digital products and services. These include data-based decision making in power plant operation, acoustic and slide monitoring as well as the further development of data analysis modules. Digital measuring technologies, such as underwater surveying and AI-supported analysis of dam surfaces and the use of drones, are also being advanced. New forms of collaboration are supported by the introduction of 360° tours, remote support solutions, virtual reality training courses and 3D printing.

CD Lab Sediment Management

The Christian Doppler (CD) Laboratory Sediment Management programme at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna has been researching the principles of ecological sediment management with Austrian hydropower companies, including VERBUND, since 2018. Changes in waterbody structures and drainage behaviour are examined in laboratory trials and field investigations. The primary goal is the development of strategies for restoring a sediment continuum in Austrian rivers, particularly with regard to reservoirs and storage areas.

Track & Charge

The multiple use of PV generating facilities is becoming ever more significant due to the increasing scarcity of available sites. The innovation project Track & Charge of VERBUND and the Salzburg start-up Anywhere Solar installed two innovative rotating PV trackers with integrated electric charging points at the innovation location of Wallsee-Mitterkirchen in early 2023. The project aims at testing the installation and operating characteristics of this system in order to optimise how the land of open-air PV installations is utilised.

Predictive maintenance application for wind and photovoltaic installations

In the VERBUND X Accelerator programme, innovative projects were carried out with start-ups including SmartHelio and Inmox. SmartHelio performed a Proof of Concept (PoC) in the area of "Advanced Data Analytics PV" in order to evaluate the benefit of their data analysis software. The highly promising results led to the project being used in a larger Spanish facility.

Inmox developed a monitoring solution for wind turbine gearboxes and is planning to test these on wind turbines in collaboration with VERBUND as a means to improving predictive maintenance. Inmox was also awarded with the VERBUND E-NOVATION Award, or VERENA Award for short.

Underground Sun Storage

The R&D project "Underground Sun Storage 2030" aims to develop and test the seasonal and large-volume storage of renewable energy in the form of green hydrogen in an underground pore reservoir together with 11 partners. This involves converting electricity into green hydrogen by means of electrolysis and then storing it in pure form. The goal is to develop a way to store renewable energies by storing the seasonally generated renewable electricity in the form of hydrogen, which can then be used in the winter months. 

Application in a gas power plant 

VERBUND, together with Wien Energie, RheinEnergie and Siemens Energy, is carrying out the world’s first operational trials of hydrogen admixing in a commercial gas and steam turbine facility at the Donaustadt power plant. The project aims at replacing natural gas with climate-neutral energy sources by 2040. The conversion of the gas turbine will also enable an efficiency increase. The Donaustadt power plant supplies a considerable proportion of Viennese households with electricity and heat.

NESTOR

VERBUND invests in innovative storage power plants to cover the rising need for flexibility through the expansion of renewable energies. The pilot project NESTOR is testing a new energy storage solution behind a grid tie-in point of a wind farm in Austria. This innovative technology with an output of 1 MW and 4-8 hours of storage capacity should be compared with established storage methods in the course of the project. 

SIA

In Spain, VERBUND is working on an innovative storage project called (Pre-)SIA (Sistema Innovador de Almacenamiento (Innovative Storage System). The goal is to implement an innovative energy store together with PV and/or wind power plants. The kick-off meeting was held in January 2024 in Madrid to make preparations for the SIA implementation project.  

Further partnerships

VERBUND is working intensively on the trialling of new storage power plant technologies, especially in the context of a development project with the Dutch start-up AquaBattery. Together with five further partners from industry and research, VERBUND is supporting the development of an innovative acid-base redox flow battery. The technology of AquaBattery will now be further developed into a 10-hour storage prototype with an output of 5 to 10 kilowatts (kW). The real-world laboratory will enter a 12-month test phase from autumn 2024.

eCharge4Drivers

The research project eCharge4Drivers trials new applications for intelligent charging points, financed by the EU programme Horizon 2020. In doing so, VERBUND focuses on the optimal management of the unused flexibility of the charging infrastructure and its integration into the energy infrastructure. In addition to public charging infrastructure, VERBUND focuses in part on innovative charging solutions for private and corporate customers, with the focus being on the smart linking of energy provision and energy management.

Vehicle-2-Grid

In the VERBUND X Accelerator and a cooperative research project with the FfE, VERBUND evaluates the practical use and future business models of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) applications. V2G enables the intelligent interaction of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and energy system by enabling bidirectional electric vehicles to feed electricity into the grid as required.