Column: New energy thanks to new technology – WirtschaftsWoche

The time of coal, gas and nuclear is over. Now the providers are looking for innovative energy solutions – good times for start-ups, finds columnist Niklas Veltkamp

Wednesday. is Kolumnentag at WirtschaftsWoche founder: Today writes Niklas Veltkamp, ​​member of the management at the industry association Bitkom, he is responsible for start-ups

the energy industry is the digitization as one of the absolute top issues – and. the policy recognizes at last the chances of the subject and not just the threats: the adopted by the Bundestag in June “law on the digitization of the energy revolution” rings in my view, a new energy era. It is an important step on the way to cover 95 percent of the electricity demand from renewable

energy giants waver

But first, to the status quo. Germany’s largest energy giants waver when jumping from the old the new energy world. Eon announced only last week, having to shoulder billion Amortization of power stations and gas storage again. And RWE, Vattenfall and EnBW continue to struggle with wegbrechenden profits. The time of the dinosaurs energy coal, gas and nuclear is over. Now the utilities seek proximity to drivers of innovative energy solutions, young tech companies and start-ups.

For the potter already strong with the power grid of the future. Eon studied example working with creative entrepreneurs from the energy sector in the specially created “agile accelerator”. RWE is founding partner of the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center in Berlin. Smart ideas and products to thrive in RWE Innovation Hub and mature. And first fund and corporate VCs focus on the energy sector, such as Statkraft ventures from Dusseldorf.

startups offer innovative, digital pulses and solutions

The Start-ups offer innovative, digital pulses and solutions that will be critical to the success of the energy transition. Technologies that increase energy efficiency, conserve resources and thus significantly contribute to climate protection. An example are smart grids, so smart grids, can think for themselves: in the future start the dishwasher, when electricity is cheapest, and not, when I just push the button. there and on top of that for the environment

Examples of creative start-up ideas in the energy field some men – a blessing for my wallet. About Energy about – launched in Silicon Valley and now active in Berlin – has an energy forecasting system developed. With advanced technologies in the field of artificial intelligence, it can calculate the exact amount of energy needed to heat a room or to cool. Here About Energy considered as unused areas and corners of the room, the presence of people and the thermal behavior. After an initial learning phase, the system thus preventing waste of energy for heating or cooling, in that it can adjust power consumption individually.