Leading up to the 2018 Hannover Messe, the VDMA once again took a strong stand and reaffirmed its main demand for energy policy : The change-over to cleaner electricity sources must become a comprehensive transition to cleaner energy sources . The smart-meter networking of electricity requirements and demand (which demonstrates a relative lack of faith in the transition) is not enough. A comprehensive conjoining of sectors is also required – a flexibly digitized bridging of the gap between still-separate energy sources, resources, and consumers.

As VDMA energy-policy spokesperson Matthias Zelinger explains the issue : “The important thing is incorporating renewable energy, particularly easy-to-access renewable energy, into applications that still require other energy sources. For example, if we use fuel-cell-powered buses in traffic that run on hydrogen, this hydrogen should be produced from renewable energy. That would be a representative example of conjoining sectors.” This also includes waste-to-energy and power-heat concepts, as well as general demand analyses for networking. “The paths we must go down now,’ Zelinger emphasizes, “are of great urgency if we do not want to fall short of our targets once again for climate protection and clean energy in 2030.”

According to him, farther off on the horizon this may require a sort of energy-broker platform that is no longer reliant on electricity, oil, gas, etc.. And – as the VDMA warns – it requires “dependable political framework conditions”, because without rational market prospects and security in planning and investments down the entire value-creation chain, it will be difficult for European power-plant construction to stand out as an innovator in the international competition. The VDMA’s Power Systems division will present the current state of affairs in its press conference on figures and findings from the most recent survey of economic activity on April 23, 2018, starting at 11:15 AM in the Convention Center at the Hannover Messe (Hall 13/14).

In any case, a flexible electricity system, intelligently linked sectors, and new market participants demand much closer collaboration between power-plant construction companies and the various industrial sectors. Precisely this is the strategic goal the VDMA has set for itself for Energy , its leading trade show. At this event, which will take place in Hall 27 and in the lecture forum Integrated Energy Plaza , visitors will learn firsthand about the sector-joining solutions that already exist. “Here we can see how we might translate these steps into practice,” Zelinger explains, “and, above all, we can also experience a vision of how that might work and also talk to actual service providers and suppliers that would be our partners in this project.” In addition to the classic subject of efficiency, “which remains very, very important,” the event will also focus on integrating industrial facilities that generate their own power into the respective digitization concept and on make-or-buy decisions in energy supply which must be synchronized much more closely – “every fifteen minutes, actually, through combining the data expertise from my production process and information from the market.”

Furthermore, during its Industry meets Energy forum (Hall 27) on April 24, from 10 AM to 2 PM the VDMA will present companies and initiatives that offer solutions for the energy system in transition. This event will use the BDI study “ Climate Paths for Germany ” as a jumping-off point; discussion of the study will be followed by short presentations detailing concrete solution concepts, some of which involve sector-joining and energy storage technologies.