Marktverfügbare Innovationen mit hoher Relevanz für die Energieeffizienz in der Industrie

Translated title: Energy efficiency innovations accessible to the manufacturing industry

The growth of industrial energy efficiency in Germany is a key driving factor of Germany’s energy transition. For the Energiewende to succeed, electricity and heat use must be even more efficient, and remaining needs should be largely covered by renewable energies. As part of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (NAPE), the German federal government launched a comprehensive package of measures to better exploit Germany’s energy efficiency potential.

Greater energy efficiency benefits the German economy as a whole: 1) it makes the German economy more internationally competitive, as lower resource consumption and fewer emissions bring with them cost advantages; 2) it promotes new business models as well as innovative technologies and services that strengthen the German economy in the international arena; 3) the current return on investment in energy efficiency is usually higher than safer investments on the capital market and 4) it plays a key role in achieving national and international CO2 reduction targets—being energy efficient means emitting less CO2.

The authors of this study identified the ten most efficient and available technologies with the highest savings potential. These energy efficient technologies have the potential to help energy efficiency in the manufacturing sector take a significant step forward. According to the authors’ calculations, if these technologies were to be implemented nationwide, they could reduce primary energy consumption in Germany by six per cent and reduce final energy consumption by 10 per cent. They therefore play a critical role in achieving national and international CO2 reduction targets. The technologies with the highest energy-saving potential are the high-temperature heat pump, intelligent drive solutions and an optimisation software for energy systems. Swift and broad diffusion of these technologies would catalyse Germany’s energy transition.