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RuhrEnergy - at a glance
Overview of core competences ot the Energy Region Ruhr
Extraction and processing of fossil fuels
The companies from the Ruhr Metropolis have more than 150 years' experience in the industrial extraction of hard coal and brown coal. In modern times, the competences necessary for this, ranging from searching for and exploration of raw materials via the operation of collieries including safety and mining industry technology up to coal refinement are marketed on a global scale.
From fuel extraction to energy supply
Manufacturing power plant technology, the generation of electricity in large power plants and providing industry and households with electricity, gas and heating - these areas comprise the core of the competency field Energy in the Ruhr Metropolis. It is of no avail whether for coal, natural gas, side-products from industrial processes, atomic power or biomass, in the Ruhr Area, all the technologies are manufactured and all the services offered. Nowadays, companies from the Ruhr Metropolis offer both the construction and operation of high efficient power plants worldwide from a single source, flexibly adapted to the different local conditions. The energy suppliers in the region have emerged as strengthened from the liberalisation of the energy market and belong to today's global players.
New and renewable energy technologies on a proven basis
The power industry has traditionally used fossil energy sources in the Ruhr Area. However, in the meantime, companies from the region have long since assumed a top international position with their research and development, production and application of new and renewable energy technologies: solar energy, use of biomass, geothermal energy, wind power and fuel cells are no dreams of the future in the Ruhr Area, they leave their mark right now. Hydrogen, the energy source of the future, has already been both produced and used Ruhr Area's chemical industry for a long time.
Efficient control of complex energy systems
The liberalisation of the electricity and gas transmission networks and new, decentralised technologies for consumption-related electricity and heat generation pose new challenges to network operation and network technology. Solutions for this are developed in the Ruhr Metropolis: several decentralised electricity generation plants are combined to create a unit in "virtual power plants", entry-exit systems for gas pipes create the pre-requisites for an intensification of competition between the gas suppliers. New network developments therefore also provide the region with new opportunities within the energy market.
Efficient energy use
In addition to energy conversion and energy transport, rational energy utilisation is the third-largest future market in the power industry. Companies in the Ruhr Area offer services and products which help to increase energy efficiency in industry and in private households. Environmental protection and cost savings can thus be combined. Federal and state programmes as well as initiatives for rational energy utilisation support such measures.
Remain mobile: Reduce oil dependency
In order secure mobility in the long-term, companies in the Ruhr Area are developing fuels for the future in conjunction with that state of NRW. These include natural gas and biogenic fuels in the mid-term and synthetic fuels and hydrogen in the long-term. Closely-knit collaboration between industry and research results in solutions which are equally energy-efficient and feasible.
A motor for innovation: Research and education
Energy research is one of the most important research fields in the Ruhr Metropolis. 750 researchers at universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutes which are not university-related (Fraunhofer institutes, the Max-Planck institute etc.) work on the fundamentals just as in application-related research and for the development of market-driven solutions. At the same time, its special distinguishing feature is the interdisciplinary joint research by public institutes and industry. The excellent education at universities and universities of applied sciences serves to guarantee well-qualified staff.
Supporting companies, making use of development opportunities
Power engineering companies in the Ruhr Metropolis are able to draw on a wide range of support: support programmes from the State of NRW, from the federal government and the EU extend the financial leeway for the development and testing of innovations as required. Well-organised networks and initiatives and a dense network of technology transfer locations help when looking for cooperation partners with whom companies can add to their own know-how in an ideal manner.
The companies from the Ruhr Metropolis have more than 150 years' experience in the industrial extraction of hard coal and brown coal. In modern times, the competences necessary for this, ranging from searching for and exploration of raw materials via the operation of collieries including safety and mining industry technology up to coal refinement are marketed on a global scale.
Manufacturing power plant technology, the generation of electricity in large power plants and providing industry and households with electricity, gas and heating - these areas comprise the core of the competency field Energy in the Ruhr Metropolis. It is of no avail whether for coal, natural gas, side-products from industrial processes, atomic power or biomass, in the Ruhr Area, all the technologies are manufactured and all the services offered. Nowadays, companies from the Ruhr Metropolis offer both the construction and operation of high efficient power plants worldwide from a single source, flexibly adapted to the different local conditions. The energy suppliers in the region have emerged as strengthened from the liberalisation of the energy market and belong to today's global players.
The power industry has traditionally used fossil energy sources in the Ruhr Area. However, in the meantime, companies from the region have long since assumed a top international position with their research and development, production and application of new and renewable energy technologies: solar energy, use of biomass, geothermal energy, wind power and fuel cells are no dreams of the future in the Ruhr Area, they leave their mark right now. Hydrogen, the energy source of the future, has already been both produced and used Ruhr Area's chemical industry for a long time.
The liberalisation of the electricity and gas transmission networks and new, decentralised technologies for consumption-related electricity and heat generation pose new challenges to network operation and network technology. Solutions for this are developed in the Ruhr Metropolis: several decentralised electricity generation plants are combined to create a unit in "virtual power plants", entry-exit systems for gas pipes create the pre-requisites for an intensification of competition between the gas suppliers. New network developments therefore also provide the region with new opportunities within the energy market.
In addition to energy conversion and energy transport, rational energy utilisation is the third-largest future market in the power industry. Companies in the Ruhr Area offer services and products which help to increase energy efficiency in industry and in private households. Environmental protection and cost savings can thus be combined. Federal and state programmes as well as initiatives for rational energy utilisation support such measures.
In order secure mobility in the long-term, companies in the Ruhr Area are developing fuels for the future in conjunction with that state of NRW. These include natural gas and biogenic fuels in the mid-term and synthetic fuels and hydrogen in the long-term. Closely-knit collaboration between industry and research results in solutions which are equally energy-efficient and feasible.
Energy research is one of the most important research fields in the Ruhr Metropolis. 750 researchers at universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutes which are not university-related (Fraunhofer institutes, the Max-Planck institute etc.) work on the fundamentals just as in application-related research and for the development of market-driven solutions. At the same time, its special distinguishing feature is the interdisciplinary joint research by public institutes and industry. The excellent education at universities and universities of applied sciences serves to guarantee well-qualified staff.
Power engineering companies in the Ruhr Metropolis are able to draw on a wide range of support: support programmes from the State of NRW, from the federal government and the EU extend the financial leeway for the development and testing of innovations as required. Well-organised networks and initiatives and a dense network of technology transfer locations help when looking for cooperation partners with whom companies can add to their own know-how in an ideal manner.