Around 50 million euros for Lusatia: Energy Innovation Centre enters its second phase

The Energy Innovation Centre (EIZ) at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg is entering its second funding phase. Germany's federal research ministry has issued funding decisions totalling around 50 million euros for the five-year phase. Founded in 2022, the centre studies how electricity, heat and transport can interact in a climate-friendly way and is intended to turn Lusatia into a model region for the energy transition. According to Fraunhofer IEG, more than 100 researchers from over 20 countries work there in five linked labs.

In the new phase, research is to feed more strongly into marketable applications. Among other things, Fraunhofer IEG is developing predictive operating concepts for district heating networks that adapt to heat demand and weather, as well as control algorithms that let heat pumps in buildings run more flexibly and in a grid-friendly way. These are being tested with Viessmann and the network operator EWE Netz. Anton Plietzsch of Fraunhofer IEG said the heating transition is not only a question of the technology that gets installed.

The consortium comprises 19 partners from industry and research, including 50Hertz, LEAG and the German Aerospace Center, contributing around 4.7 million euros of their own funds. More than 90 new full-time jobs were created in the first four years. Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär said the centre combines top-level research with the transfer into marketable technologies. The EIZ SPARK transfer and start-up initiative is also meant to help turn results into marketable applications and business models in Lusatia.