News Details
Northern German region to be 100 percent renewable Start of the NEW 4.0 major project with 60 partners for the energy system of the future in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein
HAW professor Dr Werner Beba, spokesman and project coordinator, received the funding notification from State Secretary Rainer Baake in Berlin in early December 2016. The NEW 4.0 consortium will receive roughly 41 million euros in funding. Innovative solutions and outstanding commitment are required for the energy transition project of the century. Under the banner “NEW 4.0 – Norddeutsche EnergieWende 4.0” (Northern German Energy Transition 4.0), the forces of business, science and politics in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein gathered to form a unique project initiative with the aim of realising a sustainable energy supply for the entire region, and also future-proofing it.
“What makes NEW 4.0 unique and a special challenge is that the interaction of different technological approaches, market-oriented integration in the energy market and the regulatory framework conditions are being tested holistically for the first time in this large-scale field test. The results will contribute to the success of the necessary transformation of the entire energy system,” explains Professor Beba.
Around 60 regional and cross-regional partners form a well-connected and capable “Innovation alliance” for the project of the century, the energy revolution, with pooled technological expertise, which is supported by both state governments. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs is subsidising the five showcases to a total of over 200 million euros. Together with the additional investments from companies, over 500 million euros are being invested in digitising the energy sector. Accordingly, SINTEG is an important contribution to digitising the energy transition. Over 200 companies and other stakeholders are involved in the SINTEG showcases.
NEW 4.0 is part of the “Smart Energy Showcases – Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition” (SINTEG) subsidy programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The north of Germany plays an important role for the energy transition: as an energy supplier with the growing number of onshore and offshore wind farms in Schleswig-Holstein, and an industrial location and large-scale consumer, especially in Hamburg. NEW 4.0 links both Federal States to an overall energy region.
The superordinate objective is to highlight the feasibility of the energy transition as a showcase for Germany and for Europe: NEW 4.0 aims to demonstrate on a large scale how the region with a population of 4.5 million could be supplied with 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, reliably, cost-effectively, and in an environmentally-friendly and socially acceptable manner, reducing CO2 emissions by 50 to 70 percent.
About Astrid Dose
Talking, writing, organising – and having lots of fun! This is what my days at the EEHH Cluster look like. I’ve been responsible for public relations and marketing for the Hamburg industry network since 2011. I studied History and English and have a soft spot for technical issues.
