Infrastructure Forum

It is well known that the energy sector plays a decisive role in finding solutions for a climate-neutral and liveable future. But how can the energy supply be made secure, efficient and sustainable in 2030? How can the goals set be achieved as an industry and society? In this panel discussion, precisely these questions will be discussed and, with a view to sector coupling, grid stability and regulation, the scenario of a fully electric world will also be addressed. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Roman Dudenhausen, CEO of con|energy ag.

A new generation of cleantech startups is on the rise: with founders from diverse and tech-related backgrounds, access to sufficient capital, a new sense of urgency for decarbonization, and - finally - large markets with bright economics to capture. At the same time, incumbents and startups alike realize that wide-spread market adoption in the complex energy space requires strong partnerships. Startups provide the innovative capabilities and digital expertise for change, incumbents have the market access, infrastructure, and resources required to deploy new solutions at scale. During this session, you will meet emerging start-ups in the energy space, discuss how these can support the decarbonization efforts of larger organizations and which prerequisites must be met for successful collaboration between young and established companies.

The UK government's 10 point plan for a green industrial revolution aims to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050. Central to this ambition is the commitment to decarbonise heat. By 2050, buildings will need to be almost completely decarbonised, by making use of a combination of technologies to minimise their carbon emissions and maximise their energy performance. The UK has set the target of achieving 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028 and a greater focus on heat networks plays a critical role too.

At the same time, the UK is investing in trialling hydrogen ahead of strategic decisions on the role of hydrogen for heating in 2026. The decarbonisation trajectory presents significant investment and business growth opportunities for manufacturers and service providers from across Europe and the glove. Following a brief outline of the wider policy environment, the session will centre on specific business opportunities in the UK linked to the decarbonisation of heat and allow participants to discuss with government experts and industry representatives how they can best become part of this exciting journey.

The World Energy Council - Germany invites you to explore the future of the energy system, to understand energy transition and how it is implemented worldwide and to learn about new technology solutions. Which are important and uncertain issues on the energy agenda in Germany and other regions in the world? How is the energy transition perceived and what are priorities by decision makers around the world? What are current development in Hydrogen, CCS, digitalization and other important topics linked to a sustainable future? To what extent is the environment favourable for innovations and start ups? Meet the experts of the World Energy Council and start-up representatives and discuss with them the future of energy transition.

Business France with the support of the Think Smartgrids federation and the Tenerrdis energy cluster is happy to present innovative smart grid and storage solutions currently being deployed or researched in France. 4 use cases will be presented with the help of experts in each of their fields who are thoroughly implicated in those projects.

In recent years, there has been a clear trend in the real estate industry away from individual building developments toward larger developments with several buildings and large contiguous plots of ground. The quarter network is on everyone's lips: Corresponding quarter solutions are therefore being discussed for supply and disposal. These seem to have an optimal size to realize the politically demanding climate protection goals, to serve the new demands of end customers on sharing economy approaches and at the same time to establish new business models for energy suppliers.

How can the collaboration between the various parties involved in the new asset class of neighborhoods work? What opportunities and challenges will energy suppliers face in the neighborhood of the future? And how can geodata-based algorithms - in the form of a digital twin of the real world - be used to develop a sound basis for decision-making?

The use of electrolysis close to the producer has many advantages from a grid-serving point of view - it creates a high installation framework with reduced grid expansion requirements, enables lower import dependencies for the national economy in the implementation of the energy turnaround and should have a market-stabilising effect with its flexible mode of operation, thus realising considerable cost savings with regard to the support framework for renewable energies. But what potentials really exist in Germany and how must the legal framework be adapted in order to exploit them? Our interactive BEE panel brings together experts from energy industry associations and practitioners from climate-neutral electricity generation to discuss the role of electrolysis in the electricity market of the future.

Only through a digital and functional image of the entire distribution and transmission networks that is as precisely located as possible will it be possible to meet the future requirements of increasingly distributed energy generation (including PV, wind power, gas) and thus keep the electricity grid stable in particular. The digital twin not only includes the electricity grid, but can also be expanded to include other sectors such as gas, water, heat or telecommunications in order to create as comprehensive a picture of reality as possible. The data on which the digital twin is based is stored in a central enterprise database and can be shared quickly and securely with other people or third-party applications such as ERP or CAFM via a platform architecture based on web services. This ensures that all authorised persons have access to the most up-to-date data. The additional enrichment of the data with sensor or weather forecast data, among other things, results in a very dynamic, realistic image of the entire pipeline network, which serves as the basis for well-founded, data-driven decision-making processes. Modern GIS platforms such as Esri's ArcGIS provide the necessary software technology for implementation.

For the regional transformation towards CO2 neutrality, data and digital planning tools are not only helpful, but a mandatory basis: from the determination of current urban CO2 emissions, to analysis and concrete action planning, to communication with all stakeholders and citizens. enersis manages and reduces - in addition to projects within SINTEG and the BMWi - the CO2 emissions of over 11 million people in 1,900 cities and municipalities in Germany and Switzerland. In the second lecture of this block, the advantages of digital energy transition twins will be presented to you on the basis of concrete municipal projects.

Intelligent metering systems and smart meter gateways are a central component of the digital network infrastructure. They ensure communication in the grid and form the anchor for data protection and data security. While more and more energy comes from volatile and decentralized sources, the networking of generators and consumers is increasing, and the heat and transport sectors are becoming increasingly electrified, the risk of blackouts and cyberattacks is also rising. Digital and intelligent technologies offer solutions for a flexible, secure and stable overall system and make sector coupling possible in the first place.

Our cities should become smart and climate-neutral at the same time. However, the implementation of smart city projects is usually technically complex, thematically diverse, and financially and politically challenging. Small and medium-sized municipalities quickly reach their limits. Yet they are the ones who can benefit from smart solutions like LPWAN.

Why are IoT solutions so useful for small municipalities? How can intelligent street lighting pave the way to the "low carbon city"? And why does the standard process for device communications provide the foundation for smart city? This block of topics at the Infrastructure Forum at E-world 2022 presents the basics for Smart City applications.

The challenges of the energy transition are diverse: Among other things, electricity generation and consumption are unevenly distributed regionally, electricity consumption will grow, and the yields from photovoltaics and wind power fluctuate depending on the weather.

This program block discusses whether and how battery storage can be a solution here for integrating renewables and balancing grid fluctuations. The focus will also be on following questions: How can battery storage systems reduce electricity costs for industrial companies while supporting the energy transition? And how is the market for grid-connected battery storage systems (BESS) changing due to regulatory changes?

E-mobility is essential for saving CO2 emissions: This program block not only provides a general overview of the current e-mobility market - specific topics such as CO2 monitoring at charging stations or vehicle grid integration will also be discussed: Which trends and players play a role in these areas? What does this new "ecosystem" of the energy and mobility sectors mean for the European market?