TransUrban.NRW
TransUrban.NRW consortium meeting in June 2023
The consortium of the German living lab research project TransUrban.NRW held a project meeting on the topic "TransUrban.NRW in implementation – opportunities and challenges".
The meeting served an active exchange between the project partners in a workshop atmosphere, during which the participants discussed the current status of the overall project.
In particular, the following questions were addressed considering recent challenging external developments:
- What insights can TransUrban.NRW contribute to the current debate on heat pumps, heating grids and necessary measures for the electrification of heating supply systems?
- How can TransUrban.NRW demonstrate the social compatibility and economic viability of innovative heating and cooling supply systems?
- How can new business models be developed and successfully integrated?
The topic of new business models was intensively discussed and many project partners proposed concrete starting points and ideas for further developments.
Against the background of current regulatory developments, the approach, the methodology and the concepts of TransUrban.NRW can thereby serve as a blueprint for a successful transition of the heating sector.
Further information on the publically funded TransUrban.NRW research project can be found at https://www.reallabor-transurban-nrw.de/.
Second Living Lab for the Energy Transition
On May 1st, 2020, the second living lab for the energy transition started under the title "TransUrban.NRW". The institute ACS is also involved in the project. More information can be read at the link.
Headed by E.ON Energy Solutions GmbH, RWTH Aachen University is involved in this project with three professors from E.ON Energy Research Center: Professor Dirk Müller, holder of the Institute of Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate, Professor Antonello Monti of the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems and Aaron Praktiknjo, Junior Professor of Energy Resource and Innovation Economics are working on putting energy system transformation innovations into practice.
The "TransUrban.NRW" project is one of the 20 winners of the idea competition launched by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy in early 2019. The project volume of TransUrban.NRW is 35 million euros.
The "living labs for the energy transition" are anchored in the 7th Energy Research Programme; on an industrial scale, innovative technologies are to be brought together and tested in a real environment. TransUrban.NRW focuses on the cities of Gelsenkirchen, Mönchengladbach, Herne and Erkrath in a typical structural transformation region characterised by coal production. The aim is to transform the classic district heating supply via high-temperature and steam networks into a low CO2 supply system. In this way, renewable energy from geothermal energy, wastewater and low-temperature waste heat can be included in the supply on a large scale. The low temperature networks required for this purpose will be newly constructed or integrated into the existing infrastructure. Each city stands as a real laboratory for a focal point of innovation. The findings can then be transferred to similarly procured locations in Germany.
https://projektinfos.energiewendebauen.de/projekt/niedertemperatur-ersetzt-kohle-infrastruktur/