ENsource - 2. Funding phase

What is the most efficient way to implement the energy transition in Baden-Württemberg?

The research association "Urban Energy Systems and Resource Efficiency - ENsource" is working on this question and has been developing simulation, automation and optimisation tools for resource- and climate-friendly urban energy systems together with industry partners since 2015. In the "ENsource" project, eight Baden-Württemberg Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW) are cooperating with non-university partners, companies and municipalities.

Urban energy systems are highly complex structures. Due to the increasing coupling of electrical and thermal sectors, future energy generation and distribution will require flexible and resource-efficient solutions.

Research has the elementary task of being an innovator by providing solutions and breaking down barriers to implementation. The focus is also on consumer behaviour. ENsource supports the implementation of climate protection measures in five case studies. In these case studiesthe developed simulation, automation and optimisation tools as well as business models that make modern energy systems possible are tested. It is to be expected that application-oriented research based on concrete case studies will bring the technologies and developments faster to the market and thus accelerate the transformation process.

The research association intends to use its expertise to translate scientific findings into practical measures and thus advance the transformation process towards a sustainable society.

In the course of this, practice-oriented concepts for the application of the methods and (IT) tools developed in ENsource have been developed in ENsource.

The methods, tools and services developed at the Center for Applied Research "Urban Energy Systems and Resource Efficiency" (ENsource) have created a kind of modular system that can be used by interdisciplinary teams: Cities, municipalities and companies receive decision support on which modern energy systems that can optimally integrate renewable energies and at the same time are economical they can use. The range of areas analyzed in the case studies (residential, mixed-use, commercial and industrial) with different stakeholders (municipalities, utilities, businesses, citizens) and the technology variants considered (wind power, photovoltaics and solar thermal, seasonal or long-term heat storage, combined heat and power, biomass energy upgrading and biological methanation) demonstrates both the complexity of using renewables in urban energy systems and the strength of the methods developed in ENsource.  The case studies are also intended to provide impulses for other municipalities, companies and citizens to contribute to the energy transition in Baden-Württemberg and further. The project results are summarized in detail in the book "Urban Energy Systems and Resource Efficiency - ENsource". This book is open access and can be downloaded from the project website and directly from the publisher (DOI: doi.org/10.24406/ise-n-621593). ;