On 24 April from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the forum "Industry Meets Energy" will present companies and initiatives that offer solutions to the changing energy system. The forum targets representatives from the energy industry and energy-plant construction as well as energy policy-makers and industrial companies that want maximize their energy efficiency.

Topics include the industry's climate change paths, sector coupling technologies and energy-efficiency networks in industrial companies. The speakers come from leading companies such as GE Renewable Energy, MAN Diesel & Turbo, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions, Jungheinrich and Johnson Controls. The forum is organized by VDMA Power Systems.

Germany and Mexico Energy Forum

What are the two countries doing to transform and expand their power grids in order to react more flexibly to changed feed-in and withdrawal behavior? These questions will be addressed on Wednesday, April 25, with practical examples and experiences from companies and experts from Mexico and Germany. Thematic focus: The supply of renewable energy sources including wind and solar energy and the opportunities created by digitalization of the grid. Storage strategies and technologies deployed in both countries will also be discussed This is a central element on the way to a clean and sustainable energy matrix. It makes the flexible integration of renewable energy into the power grid possible and is often the only continuous power supply option for stand-alone solutions. The program has been developed in cooperation with AHK Mexico, GIZ, GTAI, and VDMA.

Kopernikus projects

On April 26, 2018, the Kopernikus project leaders from the pool of the project partners will present their first results from the projects at the Integrated Energy Plaza and discuss them with the audience: How can we adapt the power grid to an irregular supply? How can we store renewable electricity? Which technologies are important for adapting industrial processes to a new energy supply? How must electricity, gas and heat interact to ensure an unbroken suppy to households and industry?

Visualizing the energy transition

That is the focus of the VDE presentations at the Integrated Energy Plaza. Meet and discuss with experts hot topics like smart grids, smart meter, smart homes and cybersecurity. How clever and communicative will the future grid be and how will renewables be integrated? How flexible will markets, consumers and generators have to be? Which new approaches need cybersecurity for these highly flexible systems?

After the first year, the funding program "Smart Energy Showcases - Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition" (SINTEG) will present first results, model solutions and perspectives for a climate-friendly, secure and efficient energy supply.

Standardization/Digitalization: New challenges in the energy system

The energy system is changing rapidly. Rising amounts of electricity from decentralized sources have to be managed in order to guarantee grid stability. Powerful IT applications as well as standards for producers and service companies in the energy sector become more important. The industry alliance VHPready e.V. is committed to creating and using a standardized network of decentralized energy systems. At the Integrated Energy Plaza, we want to focus on the current situation regarding standardization and digitalization in the energy sector with best practice examples by In.Power, Alpiq Innovative Energy Solutions. OnThursday, April 26, at 1 p.m.

Wind energy in germany

The expansion of wind energy in Germany and worldwide is in progress. To reach the socially agreed climate protection target of Paris, a complete decarbonization of the energy system is necessary. Renewable energies are needed not only for power generation, but also increasingly for low carbon mobility and heat generation. Wind energy has the potential to provide a substantial part of the required energy in the next years, supposing the relevant framework conditions are supporting the development. Many realized and upcoming projects show that wind energy in Germany has taken on the challenges and successfully offers important solutions for the energy transition. On April 28, 2018, companies from the wind industry will present current projects at the Integrated Energy Plaza and discuss with market experts and the audience their public acceptance, how to improve the framework, how to organize the financing and the management. Share your experiences with us.