empirica has been tasked with supporting the large-scale government intelligent energy initiative. empirica is partner in the consortium chosen by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to carry out accompanying research and evaluate the large SINTEG programme, which sets out to showcase large-scale solutions to renewables integration. empirica is primarily responsible for organising exchange between the five showcase regions, promoting results internationally and creating networking opportunities (2017 – 2021). Results include a roadshow to North America and Japan as well as networking platforms: All research results are collected on ResearchGate, individuals on wirsinteg.de and a LinkedIn Group.
In each of the 5 showcase regions, large consortia – over 300 organisations overall – developed and demonstrated how best massive renewable capacity can be integrated in resilient energy supply systems which are scalable, ecologically friendly, affordable and secure. The approach includes introducing into networks intelligent technologies and innovative operating systems which can effectively manage variation in generation and power consumption and fully exploit renewable capacity. The new solutions are to serve as models for adoption across Germany and beyond, making SINTEG “Schaufenster intelligente Energie “ Digitale Agenda für die Energiewende” (“Smart Energy Showcases – Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition”) – a major contributor to the successful transition to sustainable energy provision throughout Germany. Showcase regions received over 200 million Euros in financial support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which mobilised private sector finance and result in an overall investment exceeding 500 million Euros.