Video (2012) Impressions "Living under the rain tower" in Plochingen

Violet, green, blue and yellow - inside the innovative battery storage systems now available in the Climate quarter of the municipal utility company, will be colourful in the future. The electrolyte, which can store up to ten kilowatt hours of self-produced solar power, changes color depending on the state of charge.

 Each of the new storage tanks holds 500 litres of the storage liquid. Redox-flow batteries in the cellars of the seven houses. The developers of the Dortmund-based manufacturer Volterion, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, installed and filled them themselves in Herne. This is because the climate district is an interesting technical demonstration object for them: Up to now, they have only installed battery storage systems in large-scale projects. In the single-family homes in Sodingen, the battery is only about the size of a two-door wardrobe.

Compared to conventional rechargeable batteries Redox-flow batteries are characterized by high operational reliability and extreme durability. Even a complete discharge does not harm them.

"With the battery, our energy concept of solar system and heat pump is now complete," explains Stephan Becker, project manager at the developer Stadtwerke Herne. "The climate quarter is now entering the home stretch." The final inspection with the future residents is scheduled to take place in about two weeks.

In April of last year, the municipal utility company began construction of the seven modern plus-energy houses. The small car-free model settlement combines the latest storage technology with renewable energy generation. The supply concept varies in individual details. With scientific support, the most efficient combination is to be found after the residents have moved in.