Stadtwerke Gießen initiated the energy transition in the region many years ago. Now a book has been published that vividly illustrates SWG's visionary strategy and practical approach and shows how one of the biggest challenges currently facing energy companies can be mastered.
Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) is pursuing a specific goal: by 2020, 50 per cent of the electricity that the company supplies to private customers is to be produced using combined heat and power (CHP) in Gießen and the region. Ambitious and realistic, as SWG has already reached the 40 per cent mark. "We started switching to decentralised and climate-friendly generation more than 30 years ago - long before the nuclear phase-out and long before the boom in renewable energies," emphasises SWG CEO Reinhard Paul. That was when the first combined heat and power plant (CHP) went into operation, producing electricity and heat at the same time in Giessen. "Today it is clear that we were on the right track in the early 1980s," explains Manfred Siekmann, CEO of Stadtwerke Gießen.
A book about the visionary and successful approach will soon be published by Springer Gabler. Title: A municipal utility is mastering the energy transition. It was written by two people who have been working on the "Giessen energy transition" for a long time, SWG company spokeswoman Ina Weller and Matthias Funk, head of the heat supply department. On Friday, 13 December, they presented the work, which was designed as a guide, at a press event in the Stadtwerke Gießen administration building in Lahnstraße.
Success story as a guide
"The energy transition is currently one of the biggest challenges in this country - for citizens, local authorities and every single supplier," emphasised Ina Weller during the press event. The book makes this clear and sets out the tasks that need to be solved. "Generally applicable strategies do not help. It is important to take the appropriate path in each case and ask: Which route will lead to the goal in the long term, what is realistic and practicable?", explained the SWG company spokesperson. In "Ein Stadtwerk stemmt die Energiewende", the two authors explain the questions Stadtwerke Gießen asked itself, how the answers led to a successful strategy and how SWG is moving forward step by step. In this context, Matthias Funk referred to one of the most important approaches: "The energy transition requires an increased expansion of decentralised generation. However, we cannot rely solely on photovoltaic and wind power plants, which is why SWG has been focussing on controllable, efficient and climate-friendly electricity and heat generation in CHP plants for over 30 years. In this way, we are helping to drive forward the energy transition here in the region and secure the supply at the same time."
The holistic approach within the company, which aligns plans and projects in a coordinated manner towards a specific goal, is important. In their guide, the two authors illustrate this using the example of Stadtwerke Gießen. "Expanding CHP on a large scale only makes sense if the heat produced is utilised comprehensively. Only then is it efficient and climate-friendly energy generation. This is one reason why we have continuously expanded the heating network in Giessen and invested in the infrastructure," emphasised Ina Weller. "We are therefore well equipped for future tasks," added Matthias Funk. The specialist book is available in bookshops.