Intelligent Energy Networks (Prof. Gasper, Prof. Schmidt)
The energy transition will be decided in the distribution grid. Decentralized generators, storage facilities, flexible consumers, and cross-sector applications must be coordinated in an intelligent, efficient, and stable manner.
The Intelligent Energy Networks (IEN) research group develops data- and model-based methods for analyzing, simulating, and optimizing climate-neutral energy systems—from microgrids to the municipal level.
Our focus areas are:
Simulation and analysis of distribution grids and local energy systems for the development of smart grid solutions (flexibility utilization and grid transparency)
Optimization-based operating strategies for microgrids and flexible consumers (including storage facilities, charging structures, and heat pumps) – taking into account battery aging, forecasts, and uncertainties
Resilience of critical energy infrastructures
Data-driven methods and AI for energy data analysis
Power quality and grid interactions
With the INES microgrid, we have a real-world laboratory for validating models and algorithms under real conditions. Our projects are developed in close cooperation with grid operators, industry partners, municipalities and research institutions.
Projects
AsimutE
The AsimutE project aims to develop collaborative strategies to save energy in the Upper Rhine region and thereby reduce the carbon footprint. Researchers and engineers will explore smart solutions to reduce energy consumption and optimize storage, taking the end users into account. Data from households will be collected to document consumption patterns and understand expectations for self-consumption technologies. A coordination tool between citizens and the public sector will be developed to promote collaborative energy saving strategies. Technical solutions such as an AI tool for heat pump operation and the use of electric vehicle batteries as stationary energy storage are being researched. The interdisciplinary cooperation enables a harmonization of energy saving approaches in the Upper Rhine region to reduce CO2 emissions.
INES is involved in the development of robust energy management algorithms that require little communication and implementation effort.
ivESK is involved in evaluating globe CLS, submeters and LPWAN solutions; estimating their applicability in the Upper Rhine region; and working on security tasks, including fingerprinting and fingerprinting protection. ivESK is also conducting an analysis of security technologies for smart metering in cooperation with the OMS Task Force Security Group and assessing them in terms of their performance, suitability for smart metering infrastructure, technological maturity, and compliance with regulations such as the EU RED Directive.
Project Period
October 2023 to January 2027
Funding Institution
Project Partners
Project management organization: Université de Haute-Alsace - Institut de Recherche en Informatique, Mathématiques, Automatique et Signal (IRIMAS)
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) - Deutsch-Französisches Institut für Umweltforschung (DFIU)
Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau - Dpt. Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Hochschule Furtwangen - Institut für Smart Systems (ISS)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Laboratoire Image Ville Environnement
Hochschule Kehl
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg - Public and Non-Profit Management Professorship
Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW - Institut für Elektrische Energietechnik
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (NRP)
Kanton Basel-Stadt
Kanton Basel-Landschaft
Kanton Aargau
Kanton Jura
Alter Alsace Energies
Badenova
Electricité de France (EDF) Direction Action Régionale Grand Est
HAGER
Voltec-Solar
Pfalzwerke Netz
Primeo Netz
Solextron
TRION-climate
Pôle Fibres-Energivie
easeRISK
Increasing safety and energy resilience in the city of Konstanz
With the easeRISK project, the universities of Kehl and Offenburg, with the support of the city of Konstanz, are using an interdisciplinary approach to research the success factors for energy resilience in critical infrastructure (KRITIS). In particular, the project is looking at the scenario of a large-scale, prolonged power outage. HSO is responsible for the technical aspects of the project, which include data collection and analysis as well as the simulation of a microgrid for supplying critical infrastructure (KRITIS). HSK is responsible for the economic evaluation and for examining the legal framework and social acceptance.
Project duration
January 2026 - December 2028
Funding
Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg
Project partners
Kehl University of Applied Sciences
City of Konstanz
Konstanz Public Utilities
Local KRITIS stakeholders
GrECCo
Grid-Sensitive Energy Community Coordination
In the GrECCo project, a grid-sensitive market mechanism for energy communities is to be developed that addresses the challenges of grid operation and thereby contributes to a reduction in the need for grid expansion and to solving congestion problems. Hochschule Offenburg is providing essential parts of the development and test environment with a distribution grid simulation and a prosumer laboratory environment and is also participating in the development of the new methods.
Project Period
October 2022 - September 2025
Funding Institution
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
Project Partners
University of Freiburg - Institut für Nachhaltige Technische Systeme (INATECH)
University of Freiburg - Institut für Mikrosystemtechnik (IMTEK)
Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme
OLI Systems GmbH
Network operators
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
iFEMA
Full-Scale Energy Research for Electromobility: From Model to Market
Electric vehicles are an essential part of the energy systems of the future. Therefore, they should be efficient and sustainable - both when they are on the road and when they are being charged.
To ensure that the energy supply for electric mobility is sustainable, efficient and secure, the iFEMA project combines all relevant scales for electric vehicles: the distribution grid with renewable generation plants, the charging station in the local energy system (microgrid), the vehicle's on-board network, and the battery storage system. This is intended to resolve inherent conflicting goals between grid serviceability vs. fast charging, bidirectional charging vs. battery lifetime, climate friendliness vs. user requirements, or overall vs. partial efficiencies.
On the one hand, a digital twin of the overall system is built for this purpose, with which optimal energy management is being developed. Various methods are used for this - from machine learning to physical-chemical models. On the other hand, an experimental twin is set up to enable full scale coupling in a controlled laboratory environment.
INES Groups Involved
Electrical Energy Storage (EES), Electric Mobility (EMC²), Intelligent Energy Networks (IEN)
Funding Institution
Carl Zeiss Foundation ("CZS Transfer – Energiesysteme der Zukunft")
Project Duration
April 2023 - March 2026
KoRes
Resilient Energy Systems for Municipalities, Regions, and Germany
In the KoRes project, the IEN 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
move.mORe
Sustainable Mobility in the Upper Rhine Region
The move.mORe project is a major joint project of Karlsruhe and Offenburg Universities of Applied Sciences together with numerous regional partners. The total application volume is almost 15 million euros. The project aims to develop solutions for the sustainable mobility of people and goods as well as for the energy transition in the Upper Rhine region - especially in rural areas - and to implement them on a region-specific basis. The focus is on research-based knowledge and technology transfer.
Within a subproject, the IEN group is making three contributions for the expansion of electromobility and for its integration into the power grids, with the goal of keeping the need for grid expansion as low as possible through intelligent and cross-system energy management.
Funding Institution
Federal-and-state initiative "Innovative Hochschule"
Project Duration
January 2023 - December 2027
Partner Institutions
Hochschule Karlsruhe
Multiple practice partners
Further Information
Team IEN
Management