Under the magnifying glass: sustainable energy management

In Germany, fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil and coal dominate the energy supply market. The proportion is particularly high in private households.

The federal government has set itself the goal of drastically increasing the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy sources in the coming years. By 2030, a 65 percent share of renewable energies in electricity consumption should be achieved. In the federal government's planned energy turnaround, wind energy and energy from photovoltaic systems should ultimately make up the main part.

And there are already positive developments: For example, around 45 percent of the electricity that finds its way into households via the power grid is now generated in Germany by solar cells, wind turbines and other renewable energy sources. This means that the share of green electricity in the German grid has more than doubled over the past ten years.

The energy industry encompasses all areas of production and distribution of energy (Town gas, natural gas, liquid fuels, electrical energy, district heating, oil and solid fuels such as coal, coke, peat and wood). The task of sustainable energy management is to gradually convert the energy supply to renewable energies. Renewable energies, also known as alternative or regenerative energies, are forms of energy that are available in unlimited quantities. These include: biomass, geothermal, sun, water and wind.

In order for green electricity to get to where it is needed quickly and safely, the power grid must be fast and reliable. Above all, the transmission grids are important to ensure that all regions in Germany are supplied with sufficient green electricity. With so-called high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines, for example, large amounts of wind power can be transmitted from the north to the south.

The many parts of the energy system must be intelligently connected and coordinated with each other. Artificial intelligence (AI) is therefore being used more and more frequently - for example in the control of power grids and the merging of the energy sectors of electricity, heating and transport. In this way, the security of supply can be guaranteed even better. In addition, AI also takes over the protection against cyber attacks.

Smart grids are an example from the energy industry. These are intelligent power grids that combine the generation, storage and consumption of energy. With the energy transition, renewable energies such as solar and wind power from decentralized generation will be integrated into our power grid. However, green energy sources do not consistently produce the same amount of energy as coal or nuclear power plants do - they are far more volatile. AI is able to intelligently regulate the fluctuating energy supply and power supply in the grid.

Artificial intelligence (AI), also known as artificial intelligence (AI), is a sub-area of ​​computer science. AI is mainly concerned with automating intelligent behavior and machine learning. Instead of being programmed for every purpose, an AI can find answers and solve problems on its own. It learns independently from the data available to it - what it learns is determined in advance by humans by designing the AI.

However, renewable energy does not necessarily have to be transported in the form of electricity. With the help of so-called sector coupling, experts are pursuing the approach of converting green electricity into other forms of energy in addition to the direct use of electricity in the transport, heating and industrial sectors. Power-to-X technologies are used here, which convert green electricity into other types of energy. This means that green electricity is optionally converted into a liquid fuel (power-to-liquid), into heat or cold (power-to-heat/-cold) or into a gas (power-to-gas). This is also called reverse flow.

In the field of sustainable energy management, the storage of the generated green energy is of great importance. They ensure a balance between the generation and consumption of energy. This applies in particular to wind and solar energy, as these depend on the weather conditions. And consumers also need electricity when it's not windy or sunny.

• In spatial planning, too few areas are designated and secured.
• Legal provisions on distances between wind turbines and residential uses lead to delays or cancellation of projects.
• A lack of standards in nature and species protection leads to legal uncertainties.
• Planning and approval procedures for wind turbines are error-prone and lengthy.
• Regions do not benefit sufficiently from the energy transition, which leads to less local acceptance.
• State and federal funding procedures are not permanent.

In order to master the energy transition, Germany needs a lot of skilled workers. The Competence Center for Securing Skilled Workers, KOFA for short, examined in a Study (November 2022), which professions are necessary for the expansion of solar and wind energy, and what the current situation of skilled workers in these professions is. For example, there is a shortage of around 216.000 skilled workers in the professions that are relevant to the expansion of solar and wind energy. The sub-sectors of building electrics, sanitary, heating and air-conditioning technology and IT are particularly affected.

Courses and workshops, in the field of Career and study orientation and beyond, create visibility for companies with relevant training occupations and universities with corresponding courses. Practical approaches in the courses holistically convey the importance of the respective professions in the field of environmental and climate protection.

All courses and the opportunity to network can be found on the zdi community platform.

Also the annual one zdi robot competition takes up the topic: "Power-Up - don't be a fossil!" is the motto. Pupils develop robotic solutions for all aspects of sustainable energy production, energy transport or energy management. The zdi robot competition thus offers references to all STEM subjects and takes up a topic that many young people can identify with. In addition, low-threshold access to IT is provided, one of the sectors most affected by the shortage of skilled workers.

Within the framework of zdi heroines of October we pay special attention to female role models and how young women can be inspired for the STEM field. This year, the focus is also on women who are involved in the field of sustainable energy management.