EnerAct - Energy Transition and Social Megatrends
The EnerAct project is developing concepts for implementing the energy transition at local and regional levels in North Rhine-Westphalia. On the one hand, the context of action is shaped by the technical challenges. On the other hand, the actors in the regions and municipalities are confronted with a series of overarching political, technical and cultural developments that are driven by dynamics that lie beyond the energy transition. The overlapping of the energy transition by megatrends such as digitization and demographic change requires, more than ever, integrated problem-solving concepts that will contribute to the success of the energy transition by taking into account the socio-economic characteristics of the individual regions and municipalities along with these megatrends.
The project addresses this need for meta-knowledge and concrete action strategies. The project consortium is developing concepts for projects to implement strategies that address the challenges of restructuring the energy system in NRW.
The following questions will be investigated:
- What obstacles need to be addressed for the implementation of the energy transition in NRW with regard to prominent interfaces between technical and social issues?
- How must implementation projects be designed so as to address central transformation areas of the energy transition in NRW?
- How can actors from politics, business and society be brought together to implement the identified projects in a consistent and coordinated manner?
- What framework conditions must be established for the realization of the implementation projects?
The project is funded by the Mercator Foundation.
Project Consortium (Core Team): Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy GmbH (Lead), Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, Institute for Work and Technology
Duration (main project) 02/2018 to 01/2020
Four subprojects are embedded in EnerAct:
- Innovative intermunicipal heat supply for the "Neue Zeche Westerholt" in Gelsenkirchen-Herten
- P2X paths in Wuppertal
- Hydrogen model, region Emscher-Lippe
- Implementation concepts for urban production in the Ruhr area
EnerAct subproject: P2X usage paths in Wuppertal
The overlapping of the energy transition by megatrends such as digitization and demographic change requires, more than ever, integrated problem-solving concepts for the implementation of the energy transition. In addition to the technical aspects the project addresses the socio-economic characteristics of the individual regions and municipalities and takes into account possible changes caused by these megatrends.
The objective of the subproject is the analysis of various hydrogen use paths at neighborhood level in Wuppertal, in cooperation with the Wuppertal municipal utilities (WSW). At the beginning of the subproject, an overview of possible use paths in the electricity, heat and mobility sectors is compiled and analyzed. With the help of a systemic evaluation matrix to be developed in the subproject and the analysis of the socio-economic situation in the addressed neighborhoods, the paths relevant for Wuppertal will be definitely identified. The subproject finally leads to the development of an implementation concept for a selected path.
An important element is the intersection of the requirements of the energy transition with the megatrends of demographic change, urbanization and individualization, as these influence the demand for electricity, heat and mobility. Furthermore, the megatrend of digitization is a key element for its implementation, as it is what makes the complex networking of different sectors possible in the first place.
The project is funded by the Mercator Foundation.