EU Project ISLANDERISLANDER Virtual Visits: Experience the pilot island of Borkum digitally!

The European research project ISLANDER is in its final phase - a fitting time to showcase the progress made and the concrete measures taken on Borkum, the project's pilot island in the North Sea. As a model region for the energy transition on European islands, Borkum represents a sustainable, decentralized and intelligent energy supply of the future. The ISLANDER Virtual Visit was created showcase and visualize the technologies developed and installed on Borkum to the general public.

The Virtual Visit clearly shows how different energy sources and technologies are connected in a network and optimized on Borkum. The implemented measures include:

• The Smart IT Platform: ISLANDER’s digital platform that works with the latest mathematical optimization techniques to enable flexible control of decentralized energy sources (DER). It integrates hybrid energy storage systems (HES) as well as demand response (DR) and local power balancing (LPB) in order to optimize the interaction between the electricity and heating grids, thereby increasing grid stability.
• Seawater District Heating Network: This innovative heating network uses seawater as an energy source to sustainable supply heat to buildings.
• PV and battery systems for households and public buildings: The system combines photovoltaics with lithium-ion batteries to enable the generation and storage of electricity locally.
• E-vehicle charging infrastructure: Public charging stations promote electromobility on the island.
• Demand Response App: This user-friendly app visualizes and and actively controls one's own energy consumption.
• Storage systems: The hydrogen-based storage system and power-intensive energy storage system enables the island to efficiently store renewable energy in the short term, thereby improving grid stability and ensuring a stable energy supply despite fluctuating energy generation.

The heat exchanger system uses seawater as an energy source for district heating and is submerged underwater in the harbor when in use.

The Virtual Visit serves not only as a digital information service, but also as a tool for knowledge transfer. The goal is share the solutions and experiences developed during the project other European islands with the same mission. The findings and technologies from the Borkum pilot project will be transferred to the follower islands, including Orkney (Scotland), Skopelos and Lefkada (Greece) and Cres (Croatia).

Through these efforts, ISLANDER is making a concrete contribution to the decarbonization of the European islands, spreading innovative energy systems and phasing out fossil fuels in the long-term.  Discover the virtual tour at: https://islander-project.eu/virtual-visit/

ISLANDER consortium at the Hydrogen-based system storage site

Together with Nordseeheilbad GmbH Borkum (NBG), Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is supporting the establishment of such an energy community on Borkum as part of the ISLANDER project. The tasks include the planning and implementation of information workshops as well as support in the development of a pilot project and the creation of a business plan.

Read more:

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports the establishment of an energy community on Borkum - Steinbeis EN

Borkum lighthouse island as a model for replication for 4 more islands - Steinbeis EN