In close proximity
The changes to the energy world will have an impact on all areas of life. We are developing smart and useful solutions for our customers that will make their lives easier and reliably cover their need for electricity and heating now and in the future.
2012: Business model no longer viable
For a long period of time, EnBW primarily supplied electricity, gas, heating and water to its end customers. Since 2012, we are no longer limiting ourselves to just this role but are rather expanding renewable energies and offering new energy solutions to our customers.
2017: Life becomes easier
In the past five years, EnBW has managed to develop numerous new products for its customers and launch them onto the market. This is demonstrated above all in the area of electromobility, where EnBW is today the number 1 in Germany with over 120 quick-charging stations. In Baden-Württemberg we have developed a comprehensive charging network covering more than 300 locations. This will enable us to exploit the benefits of networked technology and help electromobility to make the breakthrough more quickly. This starts with making payment easier. Therefore, we are combining our charging network with those from other suppliers. Electric cars were able to be charged at more than 11,000 charging stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland using the EnBW mobility+ charging card by the end of 2017 – from different suppliers but always at the same price.
The right choice of vehicle is also important so that customers feel happy with an electric car. The EnBW mobility+ app recommends a vehicle model for customers that precisely matches their requirements. In addition, it guides them to the nearest charging station. EnBW mobility+ has really struck a chord with this service and it has become the most downloaded electromobility app in Germany.
Simple solutions are important in a complex energy world where customers are both generators and consumers all at the same time. Anyone who owns their own home does not necessarily have to feed the solar electricity generated on the roof into the grid today as they did before. EnBW solar+ enables users to utilise it to a large extent for their own consumption and share it with others: The product combines a photovoltaic power plant, storage system for the home and access to an energy community. In the past year, 680 customers have chosen to purchase EnBW solar+ and more than 300 systems have already been installed.
We often develop ideas for new products within our own ranks. Our Innovation Campus in Karlsruhe launched, for example, the multifunctional street lighting SM!GHT onto the market. It is not just a street light but also provides Internet access, measures environmental data or is equipped with a socket for charging electric vehicles. And the proportion of new business models is growing. Nine new projects were developed by Group-wide innovation management in 2017 alone.
2020: The energy manager next door
People are increasingly becoming independent generators and consumers of energy. We want to make this possible for them through our products and services. Charging an electric car will soon not only be possible via a charging card but also via the EnBW mobility+ app. We also aim to expand the number of our quick-charging stations to 1,000 by 2020. To reduce charging times even further, we will gradually improve their performance to at least 150 kW and build quick-charging hubs in conurbations – such as in car parks where several e-cars can charge their batteries at the same time.
The ability to store and share self-generated solar electricity using EnBW solar+ will be successively expanded. It will soon be possible to also connect electromobility and heating to this smart system. The decentralised energy landscape will become a highly complex system. EnBW will use its experience to ensure that its customers can easily benefit from the energy system of the future.
2025: Power plant? What power plant?
The number of wind, photovoltaic and biomass power plants is growing. Their output can be combined and controlled. These invisible virtual power plants are still in their infancy but will become a reality by 2025. EnBW is developing the modern IT platforms required to operate them. This networked technology should guarantee the security of supply and also help customers to sell their self-generated energy at an appropriate price on the market.
A look ahead to the future. Three questions for …
The cities of the future will be shaped by digitalisation, decentralisation, partial dematerialisation and, above all, networking. The reasons for these developments are that we need to become more efficient, sustainable, resilient and cooperative to secure our future viability. All of these aspects are already influencing and changing the energy industry today.
There can be no smart cities without a reliable and sufficient supply of energy. Smart cities will aspire to be sustainable but will also consume huge amounts of energy at the same time. We will utilise the opportunities offered by automation and the integration of digitalisation to a much greater extent and thus not only become much more efficient but also generate additional consumption. Therefore, we require an urban Energiewende. The competition for space and high demand for energy per square metre in cities make this transformation very challenging. It is also for this reason that the process should run hand in hand with urban planning and the residents.
The task of the energy supply companies and municipal utilities will be to shape the urban Energiewende. At the same time, they need to update their business models for the future and adapt them to the changing nature of public services and the associated demand. We view the supply companies as the city managers of the future. Until then, the task is to protect the interface to customers and accompany them into the future with suitable sales solutions and services. Those companies who are reliable and forward-looking should be able to defend their position against new players.
Smart cities will aspire to be sustainable but will also consume huge amounts of energy at the same time.