A Study of Municipal Utilities: Decarbonization, Digitalization and Service

Industry News – September 22 , 2021

Decarbonization, digitization and the development into a service provider are the topics of the day according to the "Stadtwerkestudie 2021".

In just five years, hydrogen could become the second most important energy source for an environmentally-friendly power supply in Germany, behind photovoltaics but ahead of wind power. This is one of the results of the Stadtwerkestudie 2021, a study of municipal utilities in which Ernst & Young and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) surveyed 100 municipal utilities throughout Germany.

However, the heating transition, rather than electricity, is perceived by the municipal utilities as the most important piece of the puzzle for climate protection. For 85% of those surveyed, this area is most relevant for achieving decarbonization. Decarbonization and climate protection are currently the dominating topics at municipal utilities, of which 77% have intensively discussed the necessary measures in the past year. These measures include digitalization in the energy sector, e-mobility including the operation of charging stations as well as local and district heating.

More digitalization and more service

The energy transition cannot succeed without digitalization. The latter has also seen a significant acceleration in municipal utilities due to the Covid-19 pandemic: 86% of those surveyed see digitalization as a dominant topic in the next two years. That’s five percentage points more than a year ago. Especially smart meters, which bring digitalization to the customers, as well as IT security will get a boost, according to those surveyed.
At the same time, municipal utilities in Germany are evolving more and more from a mere supplier to a central infrastructure service provider for municipalities. Around two-thirds expect that they will likely develop more services for municipalities in the future, for example, for the expansion of e-mobility or district development.

Source: Ernst & Young

Event Tip: Energy Transition Award Ceremony

Don't miss the Energy Transition Award ceremony on October 7, 2021. Here, the five best energy suppliers in Germany and the first-place winners in Austria and Switzerland are honored in five categories: Electricity, Heat, Energy Efficiency, Mobility and Energy Transition. The awards ceremony will take place at the EM-Power Forum in Hall B5 as part of The smarter E Europe Restart 2021, starting at 3:30 pm.

Further information at www.energiewende-award.de

Further Content
Webinar
Are European Grids Smart Enough for the Future?

September 14, 2021

In the webinar, you will learn what tasks need to be solved from the perspective of a utility in order to remain competitive.

Industry Voices
Robert Busch, Managing Director Bundesverband Neue Energiewirtschaft

"To drive forward the energy transition, electricity, heat and transport sectors must be coupled. This is the only way to efficiently integrate renewables into the energy system via load shifting, storage and power-to-X technologies. EM-Power Europe will show how sector coupling can be implemented in neighborhoods."

Industry Voices
Hans Korteweg, Geschäftsführer bei COGEN Europe

Cogeneration is evolving into the backbone of a decentralized, integrated energy system where energy will be generated and consumed at a local or distributed level. We support EM-Power Europe as a partner because all stakeholders of a decentralized energy system come together here.

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Jochen Schwill, CEO Next Kraftwerke

"Our virtual power plant connects solar and wind farms, electricity storage systems, Power-to-X installations and more. This allows us to help balance out fluctuations in energy supply and demand. With its focus on smart renewable energy, EM-Power is the perfect platform for us to showcase what we have to offer.”

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Frauke Thies, Executive Director, smartEn (Smart Energy Europe)

"Prosumers are playing an increasingly important role in the energy transition. By generating, consuming or storing electricity in a self-distributed manner, they ensure a balance between the supply and demand of renewable energies in a smart grid. At EM-Power Europe, the topic will get the attention it deserves."

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