E.ON’s virtual power plant continues to grow. Four emergency power generators for Fraport AG are now linked to E.ON’s energy platform. This means that, if needed, Frankfurt Airport can feed additional energy into the power grid within seconds.
Fraport AG is a full-service provider in airport management, and its 24 airport holdings on three continents make it one of the leading international companies in the airport business. At its home base in Frankfurt, Fraport AG provides, amongst other things, a stable supply of power for all airport facilities connected to the supply network. 68 emergency power generators ensure that, even in the event of a power failure, airport operations can continue without interruption or harm.
Through its virtual power plant, E.ON can directly draw on the power generation facilities of its numerous customers to stabilise the power grid when demand is too high or too low. Fraport AG’s emergency power generators can also be activated to supply up to 5 megawatts (MW) of additional power to the public grid within seconds. In the event of a power failure, the Fraport AG network disconnects itself from the public grid, and the emergency power generators kick in to provide the airport with an autonomous supply of power. In such an event, access to the generators by E.ON’s virtual power plant is automatically interrupted and not reactivated until the power supply at the airport has stabilised.
“Virtual power plants are an important component in meeting the challenges posed by the energy transition. Together with Fraport AG, we have found a solution that lets emergency power generators contribute to the energy transition,” says Johannes Werhahn, Head of Flexibility, Renewables Marketing & Storage Solutions at E.ON Connecting Energies GmbH.
“Our emergency power units primarily serve to supply the Frankfurt airport with power to ensure that operations can continue in the event of an outage. Through the successful marketing and integration of our units into the virtual power plant, we now generate additional income as long as no emergency power supply is required at the airport. In this way, Fraport is making an important contribution to the success of the energy transition,” says Christian Balletshofer, Head of Real Estate at Fraport AG.
