Waver virtual power plant engages local communes in the energy transition

We have become accustomed to the fact that virtual things only exist in the digital world. However, this is increasingly intertwined with the real one. We do not realise how many areas of our comfortable lives depend on invisible digital and virtual applications that optimise strategic areas of for instance logistics, food production or medical care.

One of these applications is led by the Mazovia Energy Agency (MAE) in the Waver District of Warsaw. MAE first created the Wawer Energy Cluster which allowed to establish in 2021 the local government virtual power plant (VPP). It aims to monitor energy in public buildings, but also to convince residents to invest in their own PV sources and report their results. Thanks to this, the system includes private households, local government panels installed on office buildings, cultural centers, as well as local schools, kindergartens and other municipal roofs. This is the first stage on the way to creating a city-wide system to monitor installations of renewable energy sources from various districts, contributing to the gradual increase in the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in the city’s energy mix.

The Wawer Virtual Power Plant uses the most innovative technological solutions in telecommunications and measurement. Thanks to this, we can see that the quality of energy is not only maintained at the highest level, but the access to such information is at our fingertips. The VPP collects a lot of real-time information regarding the generation and consumption of electricity in individual facilities. Currently, over 30 public buildings and individual private buildings are connected to the network. The information processed there is necessary for intelligent energy production planning – and therefore – cheaper energy and reliable supplies at our hand.

An energy monitor of the Wawer Virtual Power Plant has been integrated into the mural on the district council office building. It shows how much energy has been generated, how much money has been saved and how much carbon dioxide has been reduced thanks to renewable energy sources in the area. The monitor therefore helps promote the VPP.

In the near future Warsaw districts will also be able to “fight for the climate” by comparing their own achievements based on VPP meters. Residents will see the benefits of all the PV installations from various perspectives and how they influence their lives. This will help translate the ambitious goals of climate policy into concrete implementation thanks to interdisciplinary digital technologies in the areas of construction and energy.

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!