2008 I 2009 Sustainability Report - Econsense

Research and innovation
The Research and Innovation unit is busy
developing new techniques and processes
along our entire value added chain – complete
with the corresponding application options
at the customer end. The topics range
from more efficient power plants with lower
CO 2 emissions, international climate protection
projects and the development of new
sources of energy to intelligent electricity
networks (smart grids) and options for the
optimisation and use of geothermal heating
and fuel cells. At EnBW, research and development
are based on a holistic approach designed
to encompass all options on the road
to sustainable energy supply.
In 2008, four of our research projects were
presented with awards. In the same year, we
also registered over ten patents – all of them
relating to inventions in the field of renewables
and intelligent electricity networks.
The strategic core function of research and
innovation is based at the Holding company.
At the end of 2008, the unit comprised 19
employees, mainly engineers, natural scientists
and economists. Alongside this core
unit, there were also numerous undergraduates
and placement students who were
writing their thesis in this field. The core
team also comprises around 130 additional
employees at the EnBW subsidiaries who
develop and pursue innovative projects and
products in their respective fields. Overall,
we spent 28.9 million € on research during
the year under review ; the figure for 2007
was 32.4 million €, also due to the start-up
costs of various projects and activities.
We are still adhering to our decision not to
operate our own laboratories but to concentrate
on our own innovations during the phase
from development to application. Within
the area of fundamental research, we cooperate
with renowned scientific institutes;
when it comes to newly developed products,
we implement our ideas in a hands-on environment
in cooperation with the industry
and our suppliers either in-house or on the
premises of our customers and partners.
Our most important external research and
innovation partners are the scientific institutes
in Baden-Württemberg, in particular in
Hohenheim, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Close
ties also exist with universities and research
institutions in Aachen, Berlin, Cottbus,
Darmstadt, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Munich.
EnBW has also stepped up its cooperation
with the European Institute for Energy
Research (EIfER) founded in 2001 by EDF and
the University of Karlsruhe: in 2008, there
were a total of 29 joint projects, most of
them focusing on decentral energy supply,
energy technology for urban conurbations
and the effects of climate change in the region.
2008 Annual Report, p. 76 et seq.
and the 2008 Innovation Report,
p. 70 et seq.
The MeRegio model project –
the intelligent network
Picture a plug socket that recognises when
electricity is particularly cheap and then
switches on the washing machine. Vision or
reality? EnBW launched a pilot project with
the name MeRegio (Minimum Emission Region)
in 2009 to make this vision a reality.
The aim is to show, together with various
partners in industry and research, that the
intelligent combination of technical energy
management and innovative information
and communication technologies (ICT) can
pave the way for significantly increased energy
efficiency – in all areas along the energy
value added chain. The key elements in this
endeavour are the sustainable choice of
technology in the area of generation, customer-focused
and legally compliant energy
markets and an overriding ICT infrastructure
that allows optimum integration of
existing and new energy supply units while
directly integrating customers in the energy
markets in years to come.
The MeRegio project supported to the tune
of around 10 million € by the German Ministry
of Economic Affairs under the "E-Energy"
programme focuses on three aspects:
cost efficiency, supply reliability and environmental
soundness. In the first phase, an
infrastructure system is being created in the
form of a model region as the necessary basis
for the further activities of all the partners
involved in the process. During the subsequent
phases, the participants will be
integrated through the step-by-step creation
of the regional energy marketplace. Alongside
EnBW, the other equal partners in the
project are the companies ABB, IBM, SAP and
systemplan GmbH as well as the Karlsruhe
Institute for Technology (KIT).
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