Zimel Self-Consumption Community
Since spring 2020, the Zimel self-consumption cooperative (CSC Zimel) has been under construction on land owned by the Unterägeri Corporation. The development currently comprises 12 buildings with 101 apartments. Five additional apartment buildings with a total of 48 apartments are currently under construction. The development’s energy supply is as local as possible. In addition to solar power from the photovoltaic (PV) system and drinking water, heat is also provided by the local corporation.
The History of the Unterägeri Fraternity
The history of the Unterägeri Corporation dates back to the Middle Ages and primarily involves the administration of the common lands of the municipality of Unterägeri. Today, approximately 8,500 people live in the municipality, and there is high demand for housing. Since the Unterägeri Corporation owns large tracts of building land in the Zimel area, it is constructing a residential development there.
A cornerstone of the corporation is the sustainable use of local resources. “We are convinced that, as a corporation, we can make a unique contribution to the energy transition in Unterägeri. We have the long-term perspective and the financial resources for sustainable investments. It is important to us, as a corporation, to lead by example,” said Thomas Hess, secretary of the Unterägeri Corporation.
"With the smart metering infrastructure, I have full control over the energy data for the Zimel site at all times and can manage my property in a sustainable and cost-effective manner."
"With technological advances and this value for money, there's no longer any reason not to choose the eco-friendly option."
The Prospects for a Consortium for Personal Use (CSC)
Generating the area’s own solar power was the logical next step. As a first step, the Zimel Energy Concept was presented at the municipal assembly in September 2020. The concept focused on three key points: forming a group for self-consumption (CSC), obtaining heat from the heating plant, and achieving large-customer status.
First, the housing association plans, finances, and operates solar power systems on all rooftop surfaces. Although the apartments are sold, the right to use the rooftop surfaces remains with the housing association. Instead of feeding the solar power into the grid, the housing association sells the electricity to the residents. A CSC is established for this purpose. Second, heat is sourced from the Rain heating plant, which is currently under construction. At the heating plant, water is heated using wood chips from the housing association’s forest. Third, the size of the development will allow it to be classified as a large-scale customer in the future, as the target area will reach an annual consumption of over 100,000 kWh and will be able to freely choose its electricity supplier. This will further reduce the electricity price and, consequently, the residents’ electricity costs.
“CSC is a great solution. You simply always need someone who can make decisions, assert authority over energy consumers, and has the financial resources to make the investments.”
The next step involved planning and implementing the project on-site. These tasks were carried out by a local electrician, Iten-Arnold Elektro AG. Marc Iten, managing director of Iten-Arnold Elektro AG, and project manager Pascal Terreni led the effort.
They had already implemented self-consumption cooperatives (CSC) in the past, though not yet on a site of this size. Marc Iten says: “ZEVs are a great solution.” “You simply always need someone who takes the lead, has the authority to deal with energy consumers, and has the financial resources to make the investments.” According to Iten, institutional investors such as pension funds, corporations, or housing cooperatives are particularly well-suited to implement “ CSC ,” but they are still doing so far too infrequently. This is also because negotiations with property owners require educational outreach; according to Thomas Hess, the biggest challenge was negotiating with the property owners. There were some leaseholders who were skeptical of the PV system and the entire energy concept. However, the housing corporation carried out the necessary educational outreach and was ultimately able to implement the concept as planned. Construction work on the first phase of the Zimel development plan then got off to a successful start in the spring of 2020 with the “Cluster Mitte” project. The first buildings in the “Cluster Mitte” were occupied in the spring of 2022.
Development project with local energy supply
Today, the first buildings in the Zimel development receive electricity, heat, and even water from the cooperative—and thus from a local source.
Electricity
All roof surfaces on the Zimel site belong to the Unterägeri Corporation. Upon completion of the project, the solar power system will cover approximately 1,100 m². This means that a large portion of the electricity will be generated on-site during the day. Excess electricity will be fed into the grid.
Mobility
All parking spaces will be equipped with the basic infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations. This means that, if needed, a charging station can be easily installed at any parking space as soon as the owner requests it. The charging stations are offered through a lease-to-own system. The parking lot owner covers a portion of the initial purchase costs. Afterward, she pays a monthly fee for the use of the infrastructure. Charging is billed at two rates: a standard rate and a solar power rate when there is excess PV power.
Water
The water also comes from the Unterägeri Water Utility. It builds, operates, and maintains water supply facilities and a transmission and distribution network to supply customers with drinking water.
Heat
Heating and hot water production are the largest energy consumers in residential buildings. By connecting to the housing association’s heating plant, heat generation is carbon-neutral. This is because burning wood releases the same amount of CO2 that the trees absorbed from the atmosphere as they grew. The wood chips come from the housing association’s forest, which is located in the immediate vicinity. This eliminates the need to burn heating oil for heat generation entirely.
Energy Management System
At Zimel, energy is measured, controlled, and billed via a central platform. And in Zimel’s case, this includes not only electricity—as in other CSC —but also water, heat, and charging current. This is where the smart-me energy management system really comes into its own. “ smart-me ’s technology, with its combination of hardware and software, was exactly what we were looking for. It enables the integration of all energy sources and also better coordination between production and consumption,” says Hess. In addition, smart metering enables real-time monitoring. Energy consumption for electricity, hot and cold water, and heating is tracked in real time in the smart-me app . This allows users to monitor their total consumption and implement data-driven energy-saving measures.
The Results
The energy produced locally from solar and forest sources is also consumed locally. As a result, the target area exhibits comparatively lower fossil fuel consumption and associated CO2 emissions, while also being less dependent on imported energy. What is unique is that the operator manages its own forest, operates the district heating network, and also serves as a water supplier.
To increase the share of self-consumption and become even more independent from external sources, Hess would also like to feed excess PV power into a battery or even produce hydrogen in the future. Hess is convinced of the benefits of CSC : “The corporation will only build CSC from now on. We currently operate three CSC and are planning two more.” Through its pioneering spirit, the corporation’s initiative is making a significant contribution to sustainable energy production in the community.
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