Dr. Jana Liebe, Executive Director of ThEEN, and Christoph Frenkel, Head of Technology and Projects, explain in the latest issue of the ARL Journal how companies can successfully decarbonize their energy supply.
In the special issue “Infrastructure(s)” published by the renowned ARL—Academy for Spatial Development within the Leibniz Association—the authors compile findings from seven years of applied energy research in Thuringia. The focus is on the “ZO.RRO” and “GREAT H₂” projects, in which transformation pathways for a climate-neutral energy supply were developed in collaboration with companies, universities, and research institutions.
The studies show that the transformation of the energy supply cannot be viewed as an isolated technical adaptation task. Regional support structures, collaborative knowledge-sharing processes, and implementation-oriented approaches are becoming increasingly important, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Based on 48 industrial companies from various sectors as well as the Hermsdorfer Kreuz and Apolda industrial areas, supply concepts were developed that combine renewable energies, storage technologies, and cross-sectoral solutions. The results illustrate that the development and implementation of new energy supply concepts contribute to regional value creation, help secure the locations and jobs of local companies, and help preserve these locations in the long term.
The companies were analyzed using various tools. While the composition of energy sources used to meet total annual demand was determined through a balance sheet analysis, the ZO.RRO project’s energy system modeling (ESM) enabled the simulation of various supply and technology scenarios, as well as the development of cost-optimized and technology-neutral transformation pathways for companies and industrial areas. In this way, the results were made applicable to Thuringian industry and translated into concrete transformation concepts and practical recommendations for action.
The article was published in the current issue of the ARL Journal “Raumentwicklung,” a specialist journal of the ARL. The Academy is considered one of the most important networks for spatial research and spatial development in the German-speaking world and bridges the gap between scientific findings and practical requirements.
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