Achieving more together

The Bautzen Municipal Utility is addressing the requirements and climate policy goals of the EU and the German federal government to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality in energy and heat supply by 2045.

A key lever for urban living environments is the decarbonization of the heat supply, as its primary energy consumption exceeds that of electricity many times over. More than one-third of Bautzen’s heat is already provided via highly efficient combined heat and power (CHP) systems as district or local heating.

Now, as part of the federal funding program “Efficient Heating Networks,” a transformation plan for heating is to be developed, in which decarbonization will be implemented step by step.

The phase-out of fossil fuels (decarbonization) is a complex process and can only take place step by step. Key elements here include the generation facilities and the district heating network, which enables the centralized integration of various large-scale—and, where appropriate, decentralized—generation, waste heat, and storage technologies. The technical capabilities of customers must also be taken into account.

System adaptation requires significant investment as well as subject-specific competence to ensure optimal design. To this end, EWB has found a recognized local partner in the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.

Tackling Joint Projects

The partners have already identified their first concrete projects. “We are focusing on topics directly related to the energy transition that promise tangible solutions. This includes, for example, optimizing the operation of existing and future power generation facilities. We also want to work together on concrete steps toward decarbonizing the heating network and examining solutions for entire neighborhoods aimed at achieving a climate-neutral heat supply,” explains Kai Kaufmann, Managing Director of EWB, adding: “The energy market has become more complex. In addition to a mix of technologies, economic and social aspects must also be reconciled with the framework conditions of climate policy. Combining our practical experience with the scientific perspective of HSZG is therefore important to us.”

The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has tasked the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute for Process Engineering, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology with implementing the cooperation initiative. The cooperation agreement is intended solely to initially conduct joint research into the fundamentals required for the commercial application of these methods in practice. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kunick, Professor of energy system technology, will oversee the project.

Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in eastern Germany. At the intersection of technology, business, and society, the university is working on solutions for the future through numerous research projects and technology transfer partnerships.