Cluster of Excellence Integrated Energy Systems
Cluster of Excellence Integrated Energy Systems

Technology consultancy and site assessment

© Fraunhofer CINES
Orientierung benötigt: Auf dem Weg zu moderner Energietechnologie am Unternehmensstandort sind die komplexen Wechselwirkungen mit Märkten, Infrastrukturen und Regulatorik zu berücksichtigen.

From an idea to a secure investment

High energy costs and uncertain operating conditions make investments in Germany as a business location and in energy technologies risky. We help you make informed decisions.

 

For many companies, investments in energy technologies go hand in hand with strategic location decisions. Given volatile markets, unclear future prospects and highly complex, systemic interdependencies, these decisions involve considerable risks.

With Fraunhofer CINES’s technology consultancy, you can subject your projects to a bespoke, scientifically sound analysis. The robust knowledge base helps you make an informed decision on your location, even for capital-intensive and long-term projects.

 

Unsere Leistungen im Überblick
Use Cases
Warum CINES?

An overview of our services

No two companies are the same, especially when it comes to finding the right energy technology for their site. Depending on your use case, location, specific requirements and other details of your project, we will be happy to put together a bespoke proposal for you using the following modules. We are also happy to develop further services in consultation with you.

Systemic analyses

  • The significance of the relevant technology(ies) in the future energy system, in line with the BMWE’s long-term scenarios, in particular future market penetration and deployment pathways
  • Calculation of further development pathways

Site assessment

  • Modelling of specific sites, consistent with the overall system
  • Availability and conditions for grid connections (electricity, hydrogen, CO₂)
  • Potential for on-site electricity generation
  • Site-specific regulatory framework (e.g. electricity price zones, redispatch).

Technical design

  • Design of the plant(s), consistent with the development of the energy system and site conditions
  •  e.g. (connected) power, load profiles, operating modes

Economic feasibility analyses

  • Capital and operating costs
  • Scenarios for future market prices (electricity, hydrogen, gas) and infrastructure costs (e.g. grid charges)
  • Expected ROI

Risk assessment

  • Impact of market developments (availability and range) as well as regulatory and support policies
  • Depreciation risks
  • Endogenous feedback loops
  • No-regret measures and high-risk options

Policy analysis

  • Sensitivity of specific technologies, markets and locations with regard to regulatory frameworks
  • e.g. fee and levy structures, authorisation processes, etc.
  • Identification of courses of action and planning strategies

Use Cases

Our technology assessment is generally suitable for companies and projects across all sectors, but in particular:

  • Businesses in energy-intensive industries, particularly in the chemical and steel sectors with a focus on hydrogen, as well as the glass, paper and other industrial sectors with potential for electrification
  • Companies with CO₂ emissions that are difficult to avoid, such as lime and cement works and thermal waste treatment facilities
  • Industrial and commercial enterprises, which are considering options such as on-site power generation, storage and flexibility for their energy supply
  • The energy sector, in particular power station operators and project developers

Click on the tabs below to find out more about our specific services for various sectors.

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Example: the steel industry

The so-called ‘green steel’ of the future uses hydrogen produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity. However, the roll-out of the envisaged hydrogen economy in Germany is still in its early stages, which is why there are still considerable uncertainties for steelworks and other large-scale commercial consumers of hydrogen.

Our services:

  • Using our energy system models and global hydrogen analyses, we forecast when and at what prices hydrogen will be available on the market.
  • Based on the future development of CO₂ prices, we determine when and under what conditions hydrogen will become competitive with fossil natural gas in steel production.
  • Our energy economics models enable us to calculate how charges for the hydrogen network will evolve depending on its utilisation rate.

Example: Paper and Pulp

The paper and pulp industry is one of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors. At present, the supply of process steam and drying heat is dominated by natural gas. Options for decarbonising production include electrification via industrial heat pumps or electrode boilers, as well as combustion using hydrogen.

Our services:

  • We help you to design a (phased) transformation strategy: Which technologies can be used economically, and from when? Does partial electrification make sense during periods of low electricity prices?
  • In the case of flexible, partial electrification, we advise you on whether electricity grid charges can be reduced under an exemption scheme.

Example: the cement industry

CO₂ emissions from the burning of cement clinker are inherent to the process and cannot be avoided through the use of renewable energy alone. In order to continue operating profitably in the long term, even under future climate protection targets and CO₂ pricing, the capture, utilisation and storage of the resulting CO₂ (CCU/CCS) is essential. A prerequisite for this is connection to a CO₂ pipeline for the transport of the captured CO₂.

Our services:

  • Using our model – the first of its kind in Germany for a future CO₂ network – we can assess when and for which sites connection to a CO₂ pipeline is likely.
  • We determine what charges are likely to be incurred for the use of the CO₂ infrastructure.
  • We identify potential CO₂ sinks in your region with which you could form a carbon cluster, develop pipeline topologies and design them from a fluid dynamics perspective.
  • We outline what regulatory conditions are likely to apply and how they will affect costs.

    Logistics and Local Transport

Battery-electric powertrains are becoming increasingly important in logistics and local transport. When it comes to supplying charging power for electric lorries or electric buses at fleet depots, the combination of self-generated photovoltaic power with stationary battery storage systems and flexible electricity procurement promises significant cost savings.

Our services:

  • With our energy system and market models, we help you to design your installations and portfolio management in a way that is economically optimised, and to profitably market their flexibility potential.
  • How do differently structured grid tariffs affect the system’s economic viability?

Power station operators

Adjustable gas-fired power stations will play a new, even more flexible role in the future energy system. Given the timeline of the energy transition, initial investments must begin today to ensure that capacity is available in good time. However, the infrastructure and market environment for these plants is fraught with considerable uncertainties.

 

Our services:

  • We help you determine which energy carrier is suitable for your project: hydrogen, natural gas combined with CO₂ capture, or a bivalent firing system to enable the long-term use of green methanol?
  • We help clarify the site selection issue: is there the prospect of connecting to a hydrogen network? Can you count on a CO₂ network or local carbon sources and sinks?
  • In the case of heat extraction: how will the heat supply to district heating networks be transformed by additional renewable heat sources?
  • How do the tariffs for the hydrogen or CO₂ network work, particularly in relation to the power station’s annual full-load hours?

Why CINES?

With CINES, you benefit from a wide range of expertise drawn from several Fraunhofer Institutes

An eye for the big picture, a knack for technology, and a feel for the market

  • The latest methods and data from energy system analysis enable us to map technologies, locations and individual projects within the (future) energy system and to model their use with precision.
  • Using our energy system models, we can also produce forecasts for future energy markets, particularly regarding energy prices, investment costs, and trends in feed-in and demand.
  • We are familiar with the current state of development of the latest technologies and can assess their practical viability.
  • We are familiar with decision-making and operational processes in the business sector.
  • Thanks to our experience in policy consultancy, we are familiar with regulatory processes in the energy sector at all political levels and can assess upcoming reforms and their implications.

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