Visit by the Dutch royal couple: Experts discuss north-west European energy policy

Experts from Germany and the Netherlands discussed the expansion of renewable energy. They summarised their findings in a position paper. The occasion was marked by a working visit to the university by the Dutch royal couple: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.

The expansion of renewable energy can only succeed if it is decentralised and cross-border: this is the key point of a position paper drawn up by 40 renowned experts from Germany and the Netherlands on Monday 26 May in Oldenburg. This document marked the conclusion of the energy symposium organised by the University of Oldenburg in co-operation with the affiliated institute EWE Research Centre NEXT ENERGY. The occasion was marked by a visit from the Dutch royal couple: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima paid a working visit to the university – and also signed the Golden Book of the City of Oldenburg.

The aim of the symposium, entitled ‘Cross-border expansion of renewable energies: challenges and solutions’, was to jointly develop strategies for north-western European energy policy. The key points paper contains specific recommendations for action regarding cooperation between Lower Saxony and the Netherlands on energy issues.

The visit by the royal couple was “more than an honour for Lower Saxony; it is a pleasure for us”, said Minister-President Stephan Weil in his welcome address. Weil highlighted the wide-ranging cross-border cooperation. He cited the European Medical School Oldenburg-Groningen as an example, describing it as the “pride of the region”. Energy policy plays a major role in co-operation between the Netherlands and Lower Saxony, with research into storage technologies, for instance, playing a particularly important part, the Minister-President emphasised. “And I can tell you that here in Oldenburg, you are in a city which, particularly in this regard – as far as energy research is concerned – possesses a very high level of expertise.”

More than 30 years ago, scientists at the University of Oldenburg were already addressing issues relating to renewable energies and their integration into a sustainable economy, emphasised Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Katharina Al-Shamery at the opening of the symposium. Many former and current researchers from Oldenburg now hold key positions, including, for example, in direct government advisory roles. “Whether it’s solar cells, the optimisation of wind farms, energy storage or the regulation of decentralised energy systems: energy research at the University of Oldenburg – like its teaching in this field, for that matter – is international in scope and broadly based.” It is also strongly application-oriented, thanks to collaboration with the research institutes ForWind, NEXT ENERGY and OFFIS.

Panel discussion
Renewable energies such as wind and solar power have become an integral part of Europe’s energy supply. Due to weather-related fluctuations in electricity generation, there is a growing need for technologies that make the electricity supply more flexible. This was precisely the topic of a panel discussion moderated by science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar. The panellists were Dr Werner Brinker (CEO of EWE AG, Oldenburg), Prof. Dr Angelika Heinzel (Institute for Energy and Environmental Process Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen), Manon Janssen (CEO of Topsector Energie and the Ecofys Group), Peter Molengraaf (CEO of Netbeheer Nederland) and Prof. Dr Paulien Herder (Engineering Systems Design in Energy and Industry, Delft University of Technology). Among other things, the panellists discussed the question: What characteristics must the grids, the power station portfolio and the new storage technologies have in order to guarantee the stability of the electricity supply across borders?

Key Issues Paper
In working groups, the symposium participants explored the discussion in greater depth, focusing on five key technical areas: These included, for example, ‘Reserve capacity/flexible generation’ – which encompasses the question of how to mitigate weather-related generation bottlenecks. ‘Load management/smart grids’, ‘grid expansion and upgrading’, ‘electricity storage’ and a ‘technology portfolio for renewable energies’ were the other topics. The outcome of the discussion is available as a key points paper. It contains specific recommendations for action on the further development of north-western European energy policy. The experts aim to bring these to the attention of political decision-makers. “With this paper, we are calling on both the German and Dutch sides to tackle the challenges of transforming the energy systems together. The expert symposium addressed key areas of the energy transition in the electricity sector. Technical, economic, regulatory and social aspects were given equal consideration, enabling numerous valuable recommendations to be put forward as a result,” said Prof. Dr Carsten Agert, Director of NEXT ENERGY.

Laboratory tour at NEXT ENERGY
During atour of the laboratories, Agert gave the royal couple an insight into the research being carried out at NEXT ENERGY. Using a model house, he illustrated the thermal and electrical energy flows in residential buildings – for example, between a photovoltaic system, a home energy storage unit, an electric car and a fuel cell heating system. It is individual components such as these that, when optimally coordinated, will converge in future buildings to form intelligent control centres for the energy system.

In the battery laboratory, Agert explained the research into lithium-ion technology. NEXT ENERGY’s primary focus here is on safety aspects and battery management. Whilst this technology is suitable for small and medium-sized applications, the vanadium redox flow battery can also be designed for large-scale storage of renewable energy. Using a miniature model, Agert explained how, in the vanadium redox flow battery, active material is pumped from two tanks into a reaction unit to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. In another experimental setup, the royal couple were introduced to the ‘power-to-gas’ concept using a model car. The experiment demonstrated how, when there is a surplus of electricity, renewable energy is stored as hydrogen so that it can later be used again as electricity when needed.

The laboratory tour concluded with a visit to Germany’s first battery-swapping station for electric vehicles. It was opened in 2011 on the NEXT ENERGY Institute site for research purposes. Agert demonstrated a fully automated battery swap taking just under four minutes. The station enables the on-demand supply of renewable energy for electric mobility. At the same time, it can be used as a stabilising factor for the electricity grid at distribution network level.

Memorandum of Understanding
During the symposium, German and Dutch representatives signed a memorandum of understanding in the presence of the royal couple and Lower Saxony’s Minister-President Weil. The agreement provides for the establishment of two cooperating research centres in Oldenburg and Groningen, under the umbrella of a joint Centre of Excellence for energy. The signatory organisations are: Energy Academy Europe, Energy Valley (both in the Netherlands) and the Oldenburg Energy Cluster (OLEC).