Energy Systems and Energy Economics (Prof. Hartmann)

An energy supply based on renewable energies with zero CO₂ emissions is technically and economically feasible.

With this vision in mind, the EEW group is researching sustainable energy systems in two main areas:

Within the framework of the Intersectoral Energy System Analysis, it develops scenarios and decision-making aids for stakeholders in industry, politics and society. With its open source model MyPyPSA-Ger, it can analyse local challenges in decentralised energy systems as well as assess challenges in national (intersectoral) energy systems.
The research focus of energy management addresses the establishment of energy management processes. Above all, the focus is on accompanying management in industry, but also in public institutions, as well as on anchoring energy management responsibility in management.

Around the focal points, the group conducts research on techno-economic challenges in the energy industry; currently specifically on

synthetic electricity and heat load profiles of industrial companies.

Projects

KoRes

Resilient Energy Systems for Municipalities, Regions, and Germany

In the KoRes project, the IEN, E2G, and EEW research groups at INES, Kehl University of Applied Sciences, greenventory GmbH, and the City of Offenburg are jointly developing an interdisciplinary approach to strengthening energy resilience. The focus is on how energy systems at the local, regional, and national levels can be designed to be not only climate-neutral but also resilient to crises such as extreme weather, cyberattacks, or supply chain disruptions.

Hochschule Offenburg is responsible for the technical work packages, in particular the further development of the MyPyPSA-Ger energy system model and the integration of national and municipal models. greenventory GmbH, based in Freiburg, is developing methods for spatial data analysis as well as a digital twin to assess risks and resilience indicators. The City of Offenburg contributes real-world use cases and develops concrete strategies and emergency plans for a crisis-resilient energy supply. Kehl University of Applied Sciences examines the economic, legal, and social framework conditions and derives recommendations for action for policymakers and administration.

The project’s goal is to identify robust transformation pathways and concrete measures to strengthen the resilience of energy systems and to support municipalities in implementing a secure and climate-neutral energy supply.

Project duration:
March 2026 – December 2029

Funding:
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Participating research groups at INES:
Energy Systems and Energy Economics (EEW), Intelligent Energy Networks (IEN), Energy-Efficient Building Technology (E2G)

Project partners:
Kehl University of Applied Sciences (HSK)
greenventory GmbH
City of Offenburg

Hydrogen Valley Südbaden

According to a hydrogen potential survey, regional hydrogen demand on the German side of the border triangle between Offenburg and Basel is expected to be around 25,000 tons per year from 2027. On the other hand, there are currently renewable production capacities of around 1,000 tons of hydrogen per year. The connection to a supra-regional distribution network at federal or EU level will not take place before 2035. The South Baden region is thus characterized by overlapping location risks and disadvantages in a national and cross-border context.
Given these parameters, hydrogen development paths up to the year 2045 are to be drawn up in South Baden and hydrogen in the South Baden energy system is to be evaluated. Building on this, integrated energy concepts will be developed at municipal level, adapted to the respective stakeholders and based on municipal heat planning and local renewable electricity generation potential, and new business model potentials will be identified, which should result in a marketable product.

Funding period

April 2024 - December 2027

Funding institution

EFRE and State of Baden-Württemberg, Ministry of Finance ("RegioWIN 2030" program)

Project partners

Klimapartner Südbaden
Offenburg University
ITG - Infrastruktur-Trägergesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
Pôle Véhicule du Futur

Ind-Supply

Industrial areas (industrial parks) are highly diverse, featuring structures that have developed in different ways, buildings of different ages and businesses from different sectors, each with different energy and resource consumption patterns. Businesses in these industrial areas are increasingly looking for solutions that provide a secure, cost-effective, and stable supply of heat and electricity which meets environmental criteria and is sustainable in the medium to long term. The Ind-Supply project addresses this issue by developing a (preliminary) planning tool for municipalities and planners of industrial areas. This overall goal will be achieved through a series of intermediate steps:
1. First, a systematic review of optimal energy supply options for industrial areas with a focus on local heat supply in close cooperation with case studies in the Elgersweier industrial area near Offenburg, in Dortmund, and in Stuttgart.
2. Second, the development of a systematic and key figure-based classification of industrial and commercial archetypes for the transferability of case studies to other industrial areas.
3. Third, possible climate- and resource-optimized development paths will be identified, considering the techno-economic and ecological implications of (typical) industrial areas as well as those relating to the circular economy, taking into account future opportunities for electricity, heat, methane, and hydrogen supply.

Project Duration
January 2025 – December 2027

Funding
BMWE

Project Partners
greenventory GmbH
Prognos AG
Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart
Hochschule Karlsruhe HKA
Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE

PyFlex

PyFlex undertakes a detailed and holistic assessment of PyCCS technology as a flexibility provision measure in the German electricity and heating system. It quantifies and evaluates the potential of a flexible use of pyrolysis plants in a future energy system. Through the open-source development of the intersectoral energy system model "MyPyPSA-Ger", in which the agricultural sector is mapped, the competitive situation for (flexible) biomass use will also be evaluated. A model-based, techno-economic system evaluation of the flexibility of pyrolysis plants will be compared with a business analysis, including the consideration of business models and the effects of changes to the political and economic framework conditions. The evaluation will be supplemented by an ecological analysis.

Funding period
April 2024 - March 2027

Funding institution
BMWK

Project partner
Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung (IÖW)

IND-E

Decarbonization and Electrification Potential in German Industry – Data, Stakeholders, and Models

Model extensions related to industrial mapping and the creation of an analytical framework
Creation of a consistent database on electrification and flexibility potentials
Identification of transformation pathways in industry based on quantitative energy system modeling
Integration of drivers and barriers in the area of sector coupling into solutions for industry

Funding:
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)

Duration:
March 2021 – February 2024

BKM_2.0

Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading and Development of a Balancing Group Management System 2.0

The energy transition is bringing about not only technological change but also structural change in the energy system. There are already initial projects in which local producers and consumers use direct or peer-to-peer trading concepts to exchange dynamically varying amounts of electricity directly, without relying on the traditional structure of the energy supply system, such as energy markets or wholesalers. This raises the question of how these potential future trading structures will affect established balancing processes, such as balancing group management. The central goal of the “BKM_2.0” project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, is to develop methodology, regulatory, and technical solutions for the integration and adaptation processes between traditional balancing group management and innovative energy trading processes.

Project duration:
December 2020 – November 2023

Funding:
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)

Project partners:
Fraunhofer ISE (ISE), Südwestdeutsche Stromhandels GmbH (SWS), Aschaffenburger Versorgungs-GmbH (AVG), Oxygen Technologies GmbH (Oxygen).

Map of Germany showing the distribution of various energy facilities

MyPyPSA-Ger Model

The MyPyPSA-Ger energy system model was developed to analyze the energy system with a view to achieving Germany’s planned emissions targets by 2050 using a myopic planning approach. MyPyPSA-Ger is an energy system model

which was implemented using a “brownfield approach,” incorporating the status quo of power plants and the transmission grid in Germany in 2020, and
with a high spatio-temporal resolution of up to 317 nodes and up to 8,760 hours per year.

MyPyPSA-Ger makes it possible to explore new policy options within the framework of the energy system transformation and to draw quantitative conclusions. This allows for the identification of prospects for the energy transition in Germany, such as the impacts

of altered emissions pricing trajectories,
increased electrification of industry,
increased sector coupling, or even
a hydrogen economy.

The model results help decision-makers work toward a climate-neutral energy system. Development of the MyPyPSA-Ger model is ongoing to incorporate all consumption sectors, storage technologies, and flexibility, as well as the interconnected grid with neighboring countries.

The model will be released as an open-source model as part of a publication (currently under review).