Smart Factory Metelen

Running your home or business with self-generated electricity all year round and regardless of the weather. That is the wish of many households and businesses in Germany. In the smart business premises in Metelen, a small community in the Steinfurt district of North Rhine-Westphalia, this is already a reality.

Buildings/quarters

There, the Westenergie subsidiary Westnetz GmbH operates its office buildings almost completely self-sufficiently in terms of electricity. And it is gaining important insights for everyone who wants to produce their own electricity in the future and use it intelligently. Two photovoltaic systems on the roof convert sunlight into green electricity. To meet the needs on days with little sun or at night, the power is stored in batteries for a short time and in smaller quantities. To be able to store self-generated energy surpluses long-term and in large quantities, an electrolyser is used. The hydrogen produced by the help of green electricity can be stored in these bottles for a long time and in large quantities, so that it can be used in sunny periods, especially in winter. In a fuel cell, the hydrogen is then converted back to electricity. With this model project, Westnetz is investigating which technologies and materials smart facilities need.

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