The Kopernikus project SynErgie

In order to create economic and technically feasible solutions for the conversion of energy system towards renewable energy sources, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research initiated the four Kopernikus projects. The partial project SynErgie investigates how energy-intense industrial processes can be flexibilized to adjust the industrial electricity consumption to a fluctuating electricity supply from renewable sources. For this purpose, a consortium was created, which contains the most energy-intense industrial sectors with relevant enterprises. Beside industrial enterprises, the consortiums also includes academia and civil society organizations, such that the arising questions can be answered holistically.

JARA is involved in SynErgie through the Werkzeugmaschinenlabor (WZL) and the Aachener Verfahrenstechnik (AVT).  Together with JARA-ENERGY and its industrial partners, the AVT herein aims at the development of new concepts for economically optimal operation of energy-intense processes under volatile electricity prices. In their work packages, the AVT focuses on aluminum electrolysis, air separation and chemical processes. Furthermore, Alexander Mitsos is responsible for the chemical process industry within the SynErgie steering committee.