( 21 (5& D 'HFDGH RI 5HVHDUFK IRU 6XVWDLQDEOH (QHUJ\ 6XSSOLHV LQ WKH 8UEDQ (QYLURQPHQW Abstract Born out of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) between E.ON AG1 and RWTH Aachen University in 2006, the E.ON Energy Research Center (E.ON ERC) successfully established itself over the past decade. Currently, more than 200 researchers and staff from four faculties are working together on projects that focus on sustainable energy supplies and energy efƄciency measures in particular for the urban environment. With support of the PPP, E.ON ERC’s technical facilities and test infrastructure is setting standards. Fellow researchers worldwide, as well as industry partners, appreciate the quality of E.ON ERCs interdisciplinary and cross-faculty approach. In addition, media and politicians see E.ON ERC as a competent point of contact. No doubt, E.ON ERC‘s involvement and leadership in large projects, such as EU projects and research grants, often in cooperation with industry partners of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry of Economics (BMWi) have contributed to its national and international visibility. In all projects and research activities, E.ON ERC pursues the objectives of its mission that was stipulated by the stakeholders to develop a secure, environmentally sound and affordable energy supply system for the future.
Background and Founding of the E.ON Energy Research Center Ensuring a sustainable and reliable energy supply is an extremely complex and challenging problem at all levels of the energy supply chain. The selection of primary energy sources, efƄcient energy conversion techniques, cost-effective energy transmission and distribution systems and - from the consumer side - the efƄcient use and savings of energy are challenges that researchers, engineers and innovators must cope with. The ongoing high level of consumption of fossil fuels not only accelerates global climate change, but the unbridled use of these ever depleting resources lead, on the long run, to further increasing costs of carbon based primary energy sources. Consequently, increasing research and development efforts are being made worldwide towards attaining an affordable energy supply with a low or zero CO2 footprint. Nevertheless, a single global solution to all these problems cannot be expected. SpeciƄc regional or national factors, such as geographic and climatological conditions, the existing infrastructure and or consumer behavior require, from an ecological, social and economic point of view, locally tailored solutions. Even though a single energy research center alone cannot solve all global energy problems, it can contribute towards this goal. A multidisciplinary approach, an international coordination of tasks and a worldwide exchange of experience and knowledge between renowned research institutes are decisive prerequisites to accelerate the development of a CO2-neutral society. Therefore, the primary mission of research is to develop a comprehensive understanding about how a sustainable energy supply can be realized by focusing on reducing the energy consumption and using more environmentally friendly energy sources. This includes promoting energy-saving measures, as well as improving the efƄciency of existing systems, increasingly utilizing renewable energy resources, and designing and fostering efƄcient energy markets. In June 2006, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between E.ON AG (now E.ON SE) and RWTH Aachen University to create a research center in the area of sustainable energy at RWTH Aachen University. RWTH Aachen University was selected by the E.ON Research Council primarily because of its high level of activities and research projects in the area of modern electrical power engineering. By the end of 2006, a gGmbH (non-proƄt limited liability company) was created to consolidate the cooperation as a public private partnership (PPP). In its founding document, the shareholders, i.e. E.ON and RWTH, stipulated that each party commits to supporting the center with an equal share of investments. Negotiations and SWOT analyses were conducted by the stakeholders to deƄne the vision and mission statement, as well as the structure of the center. As interdisciplinary research was deemed key to build a successful energy research center, four faculties joined forces to establish Ƅve new institutes with associated professorships. Furthermore, all partners agreed that the researchers should work closely together, i.e. under one roof. In his statement made on Jan. 27, 2006 at the NRW National Press Conference, Dr. Krüper, E.ON Chief HR OfƄcer, announced the formation of a research center at RWTH Aachen University >1@. On January 27, 2006, a press release was conducted with NRW Minister President, Dr. Rüttgers, in which the partners, represented by Dr. Krüper and Rector Prof. Rauhut, announced the PPP and clariƄed the vision and the main mission of the center.
1. In 2012 E.ON AG was transformed into E.ON SE
20 | Introduction