The topics of research, development and innovation are significant elements in bolstering Energie AG for future challenges. Numerous projects were successfully completed in the fiscal year 2021/2022.
The climate targets at a European and Austrian level are increasingly being concretised with derivations and regulations, giving rise to new topics and fields of research. The hydrogen technology activities launched in the past fiscal years are seeing continual further development. Hydrogen will be of great importance in the future to support the shift of renewable electricity production from summer to winter and decarbonisation in industry.
Energie AG is aware of the importance of a supply security for its customers, and its social responsibility for future generations. For this reason, projects to bolster the resilience of the energy system and provide efficient customer services are being driven forward proactively and with a high level of commitment in all areas of the Group. Digitalisation and automation play a central role here. Good networking, and intensive cooperation with partners from science and industry on research, development and innovation, are the building blocks for a successful exchange with valuable mutual benefits.
Since 1 October 2019, “innovation”, an important issue for the future, has been actively promoted by Wertstatt 8 GmbH. This wholly owned subsidiary focuses its activities on the development of digital solutions and innovative business models relating to energy and the environment. In the fiscal year 2021/2022, the focus in this sector was primarily on developing new business ideas. To allow this to happen, platform economy and business ecosystem expertise was established, among other things, and intensive customer research was stepped up. To test these business ideas, several digital prototypes and deliberately small-scale field tests were implemented to gain initial experience in the market.
|
|
Unit |
|
2021/2022 |
|
2020/2021 |
|
Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of R&D&I projects in the Group |
|
Number |
|
103 |
|
128 |
|
-19.5% |
Staff in R&D&I projects |
|
FTE |
|
56.3 |
|
58.9 |
|
-4.4% |
R&D&I expenses in the Group |
|
EUR mill. |
|
5.3 |
|
5.5 |
|
-3.6% |
In fiscal year 2021/2022, research, development and innovation were pursued in the following projects (non-exhaustive list):
Carbon Cycle Economy Demonstration (CCED)
The “Carbon Cycle Economy Demonstration” project focuses on the sustainable implementation of a circular economy for CO2. This involves investigating a number of different options for a further use of carbon dioxide taken from the atmosphere or manufacturing processes for energy purposes with the help of hydrogen. In this way, it may be possible to decisively reduce emissions of climate-damaging gases. Energie AG is involved with field trials at its biogas plant in Engerwitzdorf. This project is expected to further boost the efficiency and environmental friendliness of the plant.
Industry4Redispatch
Volatility in the electricity grid caused by further expansion of renewable energies, and dynamic energy prices to match, are leading to growing demands on the electricity grid infrastructure in transmission and distribution grids. The “Industry4Redispatch” research project, which was launched in the 2020/2021 fiscal year, focuses on leveraging the potential of load flexibility in large and medium-sized industrial operations. The aim is to use the identified flexibility to replace the use of power plants for redispatching (= interventions in generation output to avoid power grid overloads) on the Austrian electricity transmission grid. In the current project phase, Netz OÖ GmbH is collaborating with several distribution system operators, the Austrian transmission system operator and other partners from the fields of research and automation technology to develop a suitable procedure that will enable offers from the electricity distribution system, including analysis of the corresponding required grid capacity.
SSCCS – Secure Supply Chains for Critical Systems
The aim of the “Secure Supply Chains for Critical Systems” (SSCCS) project is to improve the resilience and reliability of delivery chains against cyber attacks. Based on appropriate analysis and documentation of the supply chains, supply chains are investigated for vulnerabilities relating to cyber security and corresponding measures are developed to improve resilience. One key feature of the project is the shift away from a purely technical perspective towards the integration of various attack vectors and vulnerabilities along the supply chain. Furthermore, an exchange of experience and know-how transfer between the project partners in various industries is planned.
Predictive maintenance
Establishing a predictive maintenance strategy at hydropower plants is one project from Energie AG’s digitalisation and automation initiative. Energie AG Oberösterreich Erzeugung GmbH is striving to develop a strategy for data-based decision support in operations management and maintenance. Development work on a dashboard for a pilot power plant began in the reporting period with a view to conducting and evaluating field trials.