Energy Research for the Future

»The safe and environmentally compatible provision of energy on the basis of renewable energy presents us with major technical challenges. Through our research, we are actively contributing to the success of the transition to alternative energy sources.«

Prof Dr Carsten Agert, Director NEXT ENERGY

The “energy of tomorrow” should be climate-friendly, economically viable, and safe. Our energy systems are being rebuilt from the ground upwards so that this aspiration can become reality. Through its work, the EWE Research Centre NEXT ENERGY is actively helping to shape the technological changes on the path towards future-proof energy provision.

Decentralised technologies will, in the future, shift a large proportion of electricity generation to the distribution networks. The work of our Photovoltaics, Fuel Cells and Energy Storage Divisions is addressing the technologies that are of key importance to this transition, which will require houses to become intelligent control centres for our energy system.

In the area where the interests of our research divisions intersect, we are working on building energy management systems in which individual components such as photovoltaic and micro-CHP systems as well as electrical and thermal storage systems are brought together to form a complete intelligent installation. Furthermore, our Energy System 2050 Group is addressing questions of strategic importance for the technical configuration of future electricity supply systems. Amongst other things, this group is using meteorological data to model future requirements for storage and reserve capacities, as well as an optimised electricity generation portfolio, so as to be in a position to give efficient prognoses for their construction and operation.