Energy System Analysis, Infrastructure and District Planning

We develop methods and models for analyzing European and national transmission and distribution networks for electricity, natural gas, hydrogen, and CO2; for analyzing and developing energy markets, energy prices, and business models; and for the optimized planning of integrated infrastructure for municipalities, businesses, and climate-neutral neighborhoods. In doing so, we combine holistic energy system analysis with physical-dynamic modeling of infrastructure and innovative AI methods, and we integrate technical, economic, and regulatory aspects with local conditions and the requirements of all relevant stakeholders. In this way, we make an effective contribution to the efficient synchronization of supply and demand, the identification of resilience, flexibility, and business potential, the evaluation of investment measures, and the optimization of planning and operational processes.

The facilities and systems that make up the energy infrastructure—including those for generation, transmission, distribution, storage, and consumption—as well as the associated structures and institutions (e.g., energy markets, regulation, and legislation) are central and critical components of secure, economical, and sustainable public services. In their diversity, they form a highly complex and dynamic overall system that must be viewed and further developed in an integrated manner to support climate protection, the energy transition, and economic transformation.

Key to this are smart sector coupling for electricity, gases, heat, mobility, and industry, as well as cross-system and cross-state strategies and resilient digital systems. Since the development of future-proof energy infrastructures is characterized by both high investment and long service lives, planning certainty and the efficient collaboration among state, municipal, and private-sector actors are of particular importance.

To address these challenges, we support policymakers, regulators, businesses, and consumers—as well as planners, developers, and operators of networks and neighborhoods—with models, methods, and solutions for analyzing and optimizing sector-coupled infrastructures. In doing so, we rely on open data, open models, artificial intelligence, and machine learning wherever possible and appropriate.