GREENTECH!

Visiting Saxony’s
Environmental Experts
How Emilia discovered that Saxony’s
inventive spirit is full of energy.

Emilia surveys the unmistak­able steep red pitched roofs
which fly past the train win­
dow. It was here, where she
had once lived, studied, andfound friends more than 30
years ago. Later when she wasback home in Chile, Emilia had
often recalled her studies in
Saxony with great fondness.
Including what her professors
at the Bergakademie Freiberg– the Freiberg University of
Mining and Technology – hadonce told her of the impact ofmining, recultivation, and thecircular economy. And she
watched from afar, how thetheory was applied, how Sax­
ony removed one contaminatedsite after another, and focusedmore and more on renewableenergy sources.

Finally,
Freiberg is rapidly
approaching!

WELCOME TO AN ECO-FRIENDLY SAXONY
Saxony is one of the most dynamic and innovative locations for environmental and energy
technology in Europe. This is the place where a vibrant research environment unites profound expertise and a deeply rooted engineering spirit that have accumulated here overmany centuries. Today’s focal points are new hydrogen technologies, efficient fuel cells,
high-temperature electrolyzers, and organic solar technology along with the rehabilitationof contaminated mining sites, the recovery of key strategic raw materials, the closure ofgaps in economic cycles, and interconnected energy systems in the internet of things.
Such internationally renowned research institutions as the TU Bergakademie Freiberg –the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology – and the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg
for Resource Technology (HIF) are active in Saxony.
The branch stakeholders can build on many centuries of experience in sustainable resource
management, environmental protection, and energy-related solutions found in Saxony:
More than 800 years ago, the discovery of silver in the Erzgebirge Mountains triggered thefirst mining “rush.” Ore prospectors dug shafts and tunnels everywhere into the mountains
and “incidentally” created impressive engineering feats and masterpieces of science in mining technology, raw material recovery, and mechanics. Already in 1713, the Saxon chiefmining administrator Hans Carl von Carlowitz published the first book on sustainability.
2

And already early on, the Saxon Electors tried to find a solution for the time “after the silver.” They supported and promoted the precision manufacture of luxury timepieces in
Glashütte which are so renowned today – one of many excellent examples of a successful
structural transformation in a former mining region. The Saxons have always overcome
and mastered similar challenges in the subsequent centuries: After silver came lignite anduranium – the achievements attained in rehabilitation measures at the Wismut mine andwith the artificial land of lakes created around Leipzig all represent success stories intransforming old open-pit mines and radioactive dumpsites.
And today, entrepreneurs and researchers from Saxony
continue to pioneer and develop new paths inenvironmental protection and energy technology.
Their expertise is highly coveted around the globe.
Here you will find environmentally friendly ideas:www.business-saxony.com/greentech
Or just scan the QR code.

‘That’s something we could reallyuse back home as well,’ she’dthought every time she went past
the old, dilapidated copper mine,
the grimy power plant, and theabandoned waste dump at the edgeof town. These mementos of thepast have ruined her home town,
polluted the water, and destroyed
the surrounding nature. These werealso the reasons why Emilia decided
to give up her career as a geoengi­
neer and run for the office of mayor.
“Our city needs to start all overagain,” she had told her voters. “We
need to heal and repair the environ­mental disasters of the past andneed to switch to regenerative en­ergy sources, to move on to a sus­
tainable economy.”‘And now the time has come to fulfill those promises,’ muses Emilia as she walks throughFreiberg to meet with her former fellow student. He’s now a professor at the Bergakademie
and surely must know what needs to be done. Later that evening, she’s well equipped witha map, an industrial branch guide, and several scheduled appointments. After having pe­
rused the literature, the mayor is hopeful that she’ll meet noteworthy partners in Saxony.
3

MUST SEE !

PLEASE FIND
the Competence Atlas“Energy Innovations
from Saxony“

Leipzig
Riesa
Bautzen
Borna
Görlitz

Dresden

SEARCH ONLINE

Zittaufor energy and environmental
technology companies in Saxony.

Freiberg

Chemnitz

Zwickau

Aue

Plauen4

5

Come on,
we’ll go and havea café cortado.

EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON CARBON
Until now, Europe’s economy has been dependent on imported petroleum andnatural gas as energy carriers and as a source for carbon. Materially utilized
lignite, biomass, waste, or carbon dioxide from exhaust gases may possibly
assume this role in the future. How this works and how this influences energy
and resource management is investigated by
the junior research group “STEEP-CarbonTrans” at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg’s
Institute of Energy Process Engineering andChemical Engineering. The focus is on technologies which help reduce carbon consumption and establish a circular economy.
CONSTRUCTION MADE EASY
The interdisciplinary team is developing an
online tool which makes it easier for politiA new building method with carbon
cians and entrepreneurs to consider the use
concrete is being developed in theof alternative carbon sources.
network “C 3 – Carbon Concreteears are buzzing with all the
From the hotel it’s just a short walk to the HIF – and soon, Emilia’s
her: Flotation, biomining,
tells
Paula
an
information that the Helmholtz resource technici
Emilia quickly realizes: The
andawake,
wideisher
insider
hyperspectral imaging. But the engineeback home. That’s when Paula
Helmholtz people probably have a solution for that ugly waste dump
go and have a café cortado,
we’ll
suddenly bursts out laughing and takes her by the arm: “Come on,
you to the carbon team.”
take
I’ll
rds,
Afterwaand I’ll explain everything to you, one step at a time.

Composite.“

When she meets the members of the junior research group, right nextdoor at the Bergakademie, Emilia is immediately taken back to the time
when she had been a student. “You’ve come to the right place,” says
Stephen, who introduces her to the STEEP-CarbonTrans team. “We want
to demonstrate that you can do a lot more with coal than just burn it –and that even waste dumps are actually good for something. With ourplatform, we’d like to help politicians like you to better assess the conse­
quences of their decisions.” Before they said their farewells, they ex­changed the signatures of their smartphones via NFC: “We really muststay in touch,” says Emilia. “I want to learn a lot more.”At the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource
Technology (HIF), scientists are looking for new
and sustainable sources for strategically important
raw materials in an interdisciplinary approach.
The focus is on gallium, cobalt, lithium, neodym­
ium, scandium, and other materials which are ofparticular significance – for the energy turnaround,electromobility, and digitalization. Strategically,
the teams consider the entire economic cycles tobe a system: From exploration to extraction andreduced, efficient use all the way to recycling.
They are developing, for example, innovative
procedures for biomining during which microorganisms release metal particles from waste.
6

Photo: HZDR / 3D Kosmos

SCOUTING
FOR RARE EARTHS

7

Photo: Nickelhütte Aue GmbH

Waste from microelectronics factories, discarded solar modules, and many industrial chemicals contain precious raw materials which don’t belong in the trash. The Freiberg-based
LuxChemtech GmbH recovers silver, indium, gallium, and tellurium as well as other materials from photovoltaic modules, wafers, targets, devices, and production waste and refinesthem. For example, the company melts recovered silicon and turns it into multi­crystalline
material blocks for the microelectronics industry and into extremely heavy components.
LuxChemtech also crushes and comminutes silicon residues from which it produces ultrapure granulates as well as powders for the production of lithium-ion batteries.

NEW OPPORTUNITIESFOR OLD BATTERIES

Photo: DAS Environmental Expert GmbHOLD SOLAR MODULES ARE TRUE TREASURESA CLEAN RECORD FOR HIGH-TECH FACTORIES
Harmful emissions accrue during many high-tech processes. The Dresden-based DAS
Environmental Expert GmbH specializes in technologies and devices for the environmentally safe disposal of such process waste gases. The Dresden experts have developed, forexample, electrostatic dust collectors which help remove the otherwise difficult-to-filter
fine dusts that occur in the semiconductor, solar, and display screen industries. Other DAS
systems extract oil, fat, organic compounds, salts, heavy metals, or microorganisms fromindustrial wastewater. Together with the Fraunhofer Society, the company conducts research on how to remove pharmaceutical residues from sanitary sewage waters.

SO THAT THERE’S ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE …
When today’s e-vehicles end up in tomorrow’s junkyards, then hundreds of thousands, if
not millions of lithium-ion batteries need to be disposed of or recycled around the world.
Recycling these batteries is the special competence of the Nickelhütte Aue GmbH. The
company recovers such valuable substances as nickel, copper, and cobalt from car batteries and mass storage batteries. New batteries can be produced from these materials.
Nickelhütte also closes many other material cycles. In smelting and roasting operations,the company extracts concentrated nickel, cobalt, and copper from non-ferrous scrap
metal, galvanic sludge, and residues left behind in metal processing as well as natural
gas and petroleum refining. The company also reprocesses chemicals from the electricalindustry, used catalytic converters, filter dusts, and transformers.

8

As the global population and economy grow, the demand for water, food, and energy rises
ceaselessly as well. The UNU-FLORES – United Nations University Institute for Integrated
Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources conducts research on the complex interrelationships of these resources in Dresden. A team of international scientists investigates thesafe utilization of wastewater in agriculture and forestry, the significance of droughts for agriculture in Africa as well as new urban wastewater and sewage systems. And they also workon interdisciplinary strategies for water and food supplies as well as waste disposal in developing and threshold countries. In so doing, UNU-FLORES pursues the Nexus Approach
which takes the complex relationships of various environmental resources into account.

9The GICON®-Großmann Ingenieur Consult GmbH is working on a bio-based future forhumanity. A global innovation from the Dresden experts is a photobioreactor for the industrial production of microalgae. These tiny little unicellular organisms produce oxygenand biomass through photosynthesis which is actually five to ten times more efficient thanconventional crops. Due to its low space requirement and low water consumption,
this bioreactor is capable of producing renewable raw materials on the entire globe
in a resource-friendly manner. The harvested algae can be used as nutritional supplements, feed additives, or basic materials for biotech products. Other innovations
developed by GICON® include special biogas procedures, floating substructures
for offshore wind turbines as well as a wind turbine with a telescope tower.

WHERE THERE’S A LOT OF HOT AIR
Energy recycling, so to speak, is the core business of the WätaS Wärmetauscher
Sachsen GmbH corporation from Olbernhau. The company develops concepts
and produces systems which permit energy to be used multiple times after it
has been generated by recovering energy from waste heat. With this energy, it
is possible to heat or cool rooms and to operate air conditioners and ventilation
units more efficiently. Heat exchangers also help generate electricity from waste
heat. WätaS heat exchangers are used, for example, in laundromats, paint shops,
and the drying technology sector.
10

Photo: German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) (2)Photo: GICON ® -Großmann Ingenieur Consult GmbH

THINK TANK FOR RENEWABLE ENERGIESREAL BIO!
Whether it be rapeseed, wood, straw, slurry, or manure – energy can be harnessed frombiomass. The German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) Leipzig investigates how biomass
can make a valuable contribution to a sustainable energy system today and tomorrow. The
focus is on anaerobic processes in biogas plants, technologies for bio-based products andfuels, intelligent biomass heating technologies, and catalytic methods designed to reduce
emissions in combustion and incineration processes. With partners from research and industry, the DBFZ is developing economically viable, efficient, ecologically safe, and sociallyacceptable concepts for the use of biomass. The researchers are also investigating potential
fields of conflict and solutions when it comes to the production of energy from biomass.

‘The town has really changed a lot,’ Emilia
thinks as her train pulls into Leipzig. ‘There
are so many young people from all over theworld here.’ She also notices this at the
Biomass Research Center DBFZ: The
teams are a colorful mix. “Everyone is able
to contribute their own ideas on how en­ergy and raw materials can be extractedwith the help of biology, in harmony withnature,” explains Adam to her as he leads
her through the DBFZ. The light is subdued
in one lab; an orange, glowing liquid bubbles
in the middle of the room. Emilia’s eyes
widen: “Just like an alchemist’s crucible!”
The post-doc at the lab bench smiles: “It’squite riveting, isn’t it? It’s a new recipe forbiodiesel.”11

Emilia: I’ve heard that 30 years ago, Borna had been completely dependent onelectricity generated from lignite. Today, the town is considered to be a rolemodel for the successful transition to clean energy sources. How did this happen?
Anja Köhler-Damm: Since the mid-1990s, we switched the heat production step-by-stepto natural gas. We’re meeting the district heating requirements of our customers withcombined heat and power plants found at three locations, one of which is operated entirely with biogas. The electric power produced by the cogeneration of power and heat
was initially just a “by-product.”Emilia: What has changed?
Anja Köhler-Damm: We’re expanding primarily photovoltaics. Over the past few years,
several solar systems were added to the grid, including a landlord-to-tenant electricity project which we implemented together with the housing association. The green electricity
that is produced on the roof is fed into the house grid and consumed directly by the tenants. We’re compensating surpluses and additional demand through the public power grid.
Emilia: Will the town be able to meet its own energy demands in the near future?
Anja Köhler-Damm: We want to be – at least mathematically speaking – energy self-sufficient. That’s why we’ll start operating a large-scale 7 megawatt solar power plant in 2021.
We’re also planning to add wind power which is generated regionally to our portfolio.
We’re above all interested in sustainability and value creation in the region because as amunicipal corporation, we see ourselves as being responsible for the environment and thefuture generations.
Emilia: Do electric and natural gas mobility play a role in this as well?
Anja Köhler-Damm: With e-charging stations spread throughout the entire town and our
natural gas fueling station, we’re providing the necessary infrastructure. And we also have,of course, several electric and natural gas vehicles in our motor pool.
12

FROM GREEN ELECTRICITY TO HYDROGEN
AND BACK AGAIN
Together with its subsidiaries DBI Gas- und Umwelttechnik GmbH in Leipzig and DBI Gastechnologisches Institut gGmbH Freiberg, the DBI Group covers the entire gas supply
value creation chain, ranging from production to storage and grid transportation all theway to utilization, which also includes renewable energy sources. DBI optimizes, forexample, natural gas powered fuel cells. It also develops solutions for the production ofhydrogen with wind and solar power – and the reconversion of the, thus, stored energy(power-to-gas-to-power). Such hydrogen storage systems can be connected to the naturalgas grid. The DBI experts and their partners are creating a “green hydrogen economy”
in Central Germany, and they are participants of the
HYPOS initiative. Their customers include energy
suppliers, urban utility companies, municipalities,
the chemical industry, and other businesses.
The Leipzig-based ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH oper­
ates Germany’s second largest gas transmission network with a pipeline length of approximately 7,000
kilometers and about 450 interconnection points. Together with partners, the company is now also develop­
ing solutions which are designed to make today’s gas
pipelines, measurement technology, fittings, and valves
fit for hydrogen technologies. For example, two industrial partners already produce hydrogen and synthetic methane from regenerative power and feed these energy carriers into the
ONTRAS grid. A third facility is in the planning phase. ONTRAS also builds and operates
gas stations for compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen to supply fuel cell vehicles.

The excursion to Borna has really piqued
Emilia’s interest in how hydrogen can be
fed through gas pipelines. “Just turn off
the natural gas and feed in the hydrogen– unfortunately, it’s not that simple,”
explains Amanda from the Leipzig grid
operator ONTRAS. “Quite a lot actually
has to be tested: Are the pipes suffi­
ciently leakproof? Does the shell materi­
al react with hydrogen?” the engineer
recites some of the examples. “We’re
now working on European standards forhydrogen tolerance in the gas grid,” ex­plains Lukas from the DBI. After all,those who are the technological pio­neers, are also the ones who have theexpert knowledge that is needed for the
standardization of new energy concepts.

Photo: ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH

Emilia arrives with the commuter train in
Borna this morning. Borna is a small town
in Saxony with approximately 20,000 in­
habitants, about 30 kilometers south ofLeipzig, right in the heart of a region thathas been dominated by lignite for morethan 150 years. In a café, she’s meeting
Anja Köhler-Damm, the managing direc­
tor of the municipal utility company, theStädtische Werke Borna GmbH.

Photo: Anja Köhler-Damm

THE ENERGY TURNAROUNDPhoto: Fraunhofer Institute ENAS, Chemnitz / Roman Forke

Photo: Department of Advanced Powertrains, TU Chemnitz (Chemnitz University of Technology) / Ronald Bartel

NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR
SMART FUEL CELLSThe Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano
Systems ENAS in Chemnitz develops micro
and nano technologies for smart fuel cells
and other smart systems. Within the scopeof “HZwo – Drive for Saxony,” the Saxon
innovation cluster for fuel cell and hydrogentechnologies, and at the “Hydrogen Campus
Chemnitz,” the ENAS experts optimize, forexample, the turbo compressors of fuel celldrives and powertrains with the help of intelligent magnetic field sensors. This permits the construction of smaller compressors with very high rotational speeds. Anotherexample: Instead of coating polymer electrolyte membranes (PEM) with the complex method that has been
employed so far, ENAS engineers now print and structure
the fuel cell membranes with carbon and platinum according to the efficient roll-to-roll procedure.

SUSTAINABLE IDEAS
are created by numerous
R&D facilities in Saxony.

The innovation cluster “HZwo – Drive for Saxony” pools the Saxon expertise from industry and research in the sectors fuel cell technology, manufacturing and production, special
machinery and plant construction, hydrogen technologies as well as drive and propulsion
technologies from its headquarters in Chemnitz. The partners are working on the sector
coupling of electricity and heat in the supply of energy, on a CO2-neutral fuel production
for aviation, on the use of biogas for the supply of energy in agricultural enterprises, andon infrastructures for fuel cell powered regional trains. In the medium to long run, the cityof Chemnitz is to become a “hydrogen city” with hydrogen fueling stations, fuel cell buses, and a flourishing “hydrogen campus.”“ENERGETIC“ NETWORKERS
bring the energy / environmental expertiseof stakeholders from business, science, andpolitics together in Saxony.

14

MOBILE WITH
FUEL CELL POWER
The Fuel Cell Powertrain GmbH (FCP) develops
and produces applications for the utilization ofhydrogen as an energy carrier. Towards this end,
the company is establishing one of Europe’s mostmodern testing and production facilities for fuelcells and electric drive and propulsion technologies in Chemnitz. The joint venture of theGerman PTT GmbH and the Chinese financial investor HET combines fuel cells with intelligent electric drive systems which are to be used in buses, trains, and utility vehicles.
Compared to those drives which are merely powered by batteries, fuel cell systems exhibit
extended driving ranges and, at the same time, shorter refueling times as well as an improved overall environmental balance. In addition, the company also offers its technology
in the form of stationary solutions. FCP is a part of the fruitful and productive ecosystems
of industry and research on the “Hydrogen Campus Chemnitz.”

Photo: FCP Fuel Cell Powertrain GmbHHYDROGEN POOL

15

Photo: SIEMENS AG

TOGETHER.
INTO THE FUTURE.

A production site in transition. The SIEMENS turbine
manufacturing plant in Görlitz has been delivering products for the conventional generation of power and heat
for many years now. In 2018, the plant with its 800 employees was on the brink of being closed. The region around Görlitz – Lusatia – is also confronted with the challenges of the energy turnaround as a lignite mining district. Together, it
has been possible to find a way. On July 15, 2019, the SIEMENS AG, the State of Saxony, andthe Fraunhofer Society signed the “Siemens Görlitz Pact of the Future.” The TU Dresden –Dresden University of Technology –, the Zittau Görlitz University of Applied Sciences as wellas the start-up incubator, the Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL), joined the pact
as partners soon thereafter. Additional technology firms, industrial companies, start-ups, andresearch institutes are to set up their business here as well. Focal points are decarbonization,
digitalization, and new production technologies. The turbine plant is to be transformed into a
CO2-neutral factory by 2025. Products and solutions in hydrogen technology are to be developed together with partners in the new SIEMENS Innovation Campus in the future, and astart-up accelerator is to be integrated as well. In the Fraunhofer Hydrogen Laboratory Görlitz(HLG), researchers investigate the production, storage, and use of hydrogen. Over the longterm, Görlitz and Lusatia are to evolve into a competence center for hydrogen technologies.

Today, Emilia has an appointment with the electrolysis experts at Sunfire. When she arrives
with the hybrid bus in Dresden-Reick, she’s immediately fascinated: In the background is therefurbished gasholder, right next to it the innovation campus of the public utility company withlarge-scale batteries, solar plants, and thermal storage units. In front of it all, a seemingly very
technical tower soars into the sky: This technical marvel of Saxon engineering expertise isable to produce synthetic biofuel from air and solar energy with the help of highly efficient
high-temperature plants. “In 2015, we put the first liters from our pilot plant into the fuel tankof the then Federal Research Minister’s Audi,” says Jan who had helped construct the tower.

ENERGY SOURCES OR
THE DREAM OF
INDEPENDENCE

Portable energy supply solutions are offered by the FAE Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG
from Heidenau. The company’s systems are based on hydrogen fuel cells and batteries
and provide energy for all sectors with different performance requirements at any time
and without any harmful emissions. Within the scope of “HZwo – Drive for Saxony,” theSaxon innovation cluster for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, FAE has developed anemission-free, scalable hybrid system composed of fuel cells and batteries for the supplyof energy. Thanks to its modular construction, this system can be used for diverse mobile
and stationary applications without any additional development efforts.
16

Photo: Sunfire GmbH

ENERGY SUPPLY WITHOUT EMISSIONSThe Dresden-based Sunfire GmbH develops highly efficient high-temperature fuelcells and electrolyzers which provide decentralized electricity, heat, fuels, andgreen hydrogen in an environmentallyfriendly manner. The systems achieve an
efficiency rate of more than 90 percent andwork without any problems even whenthey’re exposed to heat, storm, and dust clouds. During high-temperature electrolysis, theSunfire systems generate green hydrogen with the help of green electricity. The latter canbe further refined with carbon dioxide into synthetic crude oil or biodiesel for the refu­
eling of ships, airplanes, and cars. At TOTAL, Sunfire technology delivers the fuel for fuelcell vehicles; in Salzgitter, the company reduces the CO2 emissions in steel production;
additional partners include Boeing, Audi, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
17

A new day dawns. Emilia gazes
through the hotel window acrossthe Elbe River to Dresden’s Old
Town district. ‘This view is spec­
tacular. What a wonderful place
to live,’ she muses. But then she
thinks again of her home and why
she’s here. Today, she wants tovisit two companies which havesome clever ideas to ensure that
not too much energy is wasted
anymore. “Heating your home withcomputers – incredible that some­one actually came up with theidea,” murmurs Emilia to herself as
she closes her notebook so that
she can catch the tram that’s totake her into Dresden’s high-tech
Northside.

A downside of digitalization is the growing consumption of energy in computer centers:
Thousands of processors need lots of power and require lots of cooling. The Cloud&Heat
Technologies GmbH has come up with a groundbreaking solution: Highly secure cloudcenters that actually heat office facilities with their waste heat instead of “unloading” thisenergy into the surrounding environment. As an alternative, the sophisticated direct
cooling of hot water can also feed the thermal energy into the district and local heating
grids. That saves cooling and heating costs, improves the carbon dioxide balance ofcomputer centers, and helps protect the environment. Cloud&Heat has also created thefirst water cooled mobile computer center in a shipping container. At the moment, morethan 1,000 Cloud&Heat servers are in operation around the globe.

Photo: Heliatek GmbHThanks to organic photovoltaics,
solar technology can now be used toa much broader extent than before –no longer just on the roof, but also
on facades and fragile constructions.
To make this possible, the technology
leader Heliatek GmbH producestransparent, millimeter-thin, flexible,
and ultralight solar films in its factory in Dresden. These innovative “HeliaFilm” energy
collectors supply electricity even under low light conditions when classic silicon technol­ogy can no longer produce any more power. Organic solar films made in Saxony havebeen used in Germany, China, France, Belgium, and Egypt for many years now. Heliatek
produces these films with the efficient roll-to-roll procedure for which it only needs one
gram of organic starting material per square meter of solar film.

Photo: Cloud&Heat Technologies GmbH

WHEN THE CLOUD HELPS HEAT THE HOUSEULTRALIGHT ORGANICSOLAR FILMSHEATING ENERGY THAT HITS THE SPOT
An innovative intelligent heating technology developed by the Freital-based watttron GmbH
corporation has the potential of revolutionizing the plastic packaging industry. The patented watttron system heats the material with pinpoint precision – only there where it actuallyneeds to be formed. With this method, manufacturers are able to optimize, for example,
the wall thickness of a yogurt cup in such a way that they save almost a third of the material and energy while also avoiding waste.

PLATFORM FOR THE
DECENTRALIZED WORLD OF ENERGY
The world of energy is changing: Decentralized producers feed electricity into the grid,e-vehicles need charging stations, excess energy must be stored. The Dresden-based
Kiwigrid GmbH provides a platform which links new technologies and business models
revolving around energy, heat, e-mobility, and the internet of things (IoT) with one another.
For example, the platform segment “Independent Home” helps homeowners to supply
themselves year-round with clean, self-generated energy. “Electrifying City” addresses the
housing industry, reads the consumption data of digital gas, water, and heating meters, andcoordinates the energy balance of multi-family homes and urban districts. The “Transactive
Grid” helps grid operators to balance supply and demand and to prevent local bottlenecks.

18

19

ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENT TREATMENT

20“Okaaay…” Emilia’s eyes widen as her gaze moves upward. “You don’t always have to teardown everything that’s old if you wish to head into the future,” explains Thomas who helps
Emilia on her fact-finding mission at the Chemnitz supplier eins energie in Sachsen.
“30 years ago, this had been an ugly, weathered reinforced concrete tower at a thermal
power plant. Then came a French artist with very extraordinary ideas for colors and lights.
And now, this 302 meter smokestack is the world’s tallest work of art.” Thomas points withhis hand: “Let’s go over to the low-temperature laboratory where very different innova­
tions are being created...”Photo: eins energie in sachsen GmbH & Co. KG / Dirk Brzoska

the wastewater from hun­
The mayor slowly takes a deep breath: When you consider that
Dresden are treated here,
regionlitan
dreds of thousands of households from the metropo
treatment plant in Kaditz.
sewagelarge
theacrosswafts
it’s a remarkably fresh breeze thatthrough the huge facil­
Emiliaguideswho
Yvette,ledgesacknow
this,”“It wasn’t always likeexpert knowledge intoandity. “But over the past decades, we invested a lot of work, money,
We often have in­ogy.
technol-the-art
upgrading the sewage treatment plants with state-oftransformation.”
of
type
this
about
more
learn
to
want
ternational guests like you here who

The world’s tallest
work of art!

Photo: Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbHThe Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH is a technology pioneer of wastewater treatment.
Just one example: Along with household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and textile fibers, many micropollutants get into the sewage system which previously had beendifficult to filter out. Within the scope of the “MikroModell” project, the company conducted research together with the TU Dresden – Dresden University of Technology – on
how to solve this problem. The Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH also uses such renewable energy sources as solar systems, water turbines, and wastewater heat for wastewater
treatment. Since biogas extracted fromsewage sludge and organic waste isconverted into electricity, the Dresdenbased sewage treatment plant is virtu­
ally energy self-sufficient. The company’s extensive expertise is highly coveted around the globe, for example, forwastewater projects in Vietnam, Jordan,
and the Ukraine.

A COOL METROPOLISOne of the world’s most modern district cooling networks is operated by the eins energie
in sachsen GmbH & Co. KG in Chemnitz.
The requisite cooling energy is provided byabsorption chillers and thermal energy storage
systems. From the central unit, cool waterwith a temperature of five degrees Celsius
flows through the city via a well-insulated pipeline system. The system cools office buildings,
shopping centers, the university, and other public facilities and reabsorbs the heat in these premises. The water, which is thus heated toabout twelve degrees Celsius, flows back into the cooling system, and then the cycle starts
all over again. All told, the company supplies about 400,000 household and commercial
clients in South Saxony with natural gas, electricity, heat, cooling energy, and water.
21

The Pros Behind Itinvoice memos after two weeks of research
Emilia’s cloud storage is almost full with
had
she
If
.
tures
e is overflowing with new signa
Saxony. The contact app in her smartphon
ilback home. When she sits with the city counc
once
at
thing
her way, she’d change every
on
got
she
s
ation
inspir
the
all
t
abou
n and talks
members at the round table after her returrfirst. Emilia pulls her thumb and index finge
tackle
to
like
she’d
what
asked
she’s
the trip,
of
lots
got
“We
app. “Hydrogen,” she says.
apart and taps on an entry in her memory
at the edge of town like they do in Saxony,
dump
waste
the
up
sunshine in Chile. If we clean
withso that we could produce green hydrogenthen we could install lots of solar plants
and
tion
direc
new
ly
entireanty
cipalimuni
our
inexpensive green power. That would give
in
me
told
had
ts
attention to what the exper
create lots of new jobs. I really paid close
very soon.”
Saxony. And I’ll get in touch with them again

Imprint
Editor:Wirtschaftsförderung
Sachsen GmbH
(Saxony Economic
Development
Corporation)

22

Text compositionin cooperation with:
PR-Büro ig.text
Inge Gerdes, Dresden
www.igtext.de

Printed by:
Gustav Winter Druckerei
und Verlagsgesellschaft
mbH, Herrnhut
www.gustavwinter.de

Heiko Weckbrodt,
Dresdenwww.oiger.de

Illustrations:Peter Ernst, Dresden
www.ernstillustriert.deGraphic design:
VOR Agentur für strategische Entwicklung und
Kommunikation GmbH,
Dresdenwww.vor-dresden.de
Editorial deadline:
December 2020... are the staff members of the Saxony Economic Development Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH). We’re promoting the business location Saxony
with conviction. But we prefer to let our actions speak for themselves. We assist new
business setups and company expansions, help develop new markets, and initiate
networks between business and research.
You see, we give our very best for Saxony – and also for your project. Come and takea look behind the scenes: We’d love to hear from you! Call us at +49.351.2138-0.

www.business-saxony.com

Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH
Bertolt-Brecht-Allee 2201309 Dresden
Phone: +49.351.2138-0
Fax: +49.351.2138-399
info@wfs.saxony.de
www.wfs.saxony.deENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTALTECHNOLOGY FROM SAXONY
The Innovative Topics of Saxon Stakeholders from theEnergy / Environmental Technology Branch

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