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New technologies today secure raw material supplies tomorrow.
RWE Dea’s upstream business provides a host of ways in which to implement R&D measures. One of our goals is to maintain the high success rates of our exploration wells. To this end, we must improve our ability to assess the indications of hydrocarbon deposits. We are conducting extensive geological studies in North Africa for this purpose. We are also looking into the possibility of obtaining clearer graphical representations of field structures enabling us to interpret them more accurately. In the field of oil and gas production, RWE Dea employs state-of-the-art techniques and refines them constantly.
Another of RWE Dea’s fields of activity deals with methane hydrates. This resource is considered the energy source of the future. Methane hydrates are ice-like masses, which are created when gas bonds with water under high pressure and low temperatures. Large gas hydrate reserves can be found in permafrost regions and under ocean beds. Two of RWE Dea’s research ventures are exploring ways to use them. One of the research projects is opening up entirely new horizons for climate protection: It is examining the possibility of CO2-neutral methane extraction through the simultaneous storage of carbon dioxide in hydrate form.
The demands placed on the electricity grid are rising.
Other R&D activities are dedicated to ensuring the safe, economic and environmentally friendly operation of our electricity and gas grids. For instance, we are investigating ways to record and assess the present state of our major network components more precisely. This will ensure that maintenance work is carried out in a timely fashion. In addition, we are exploring ways to enable our customers to use the grid in entirely new ways. An example is the “E-DeMA” project, which is being promoted by the German Ministry of Economics. The acronym is German and stands for “Development and Demonstration of Decentrally Networked Energy Systems en Route to the E-energy Marketplace of the Future.” This joint undertaking, involving companies and research institutions, was launched in November 2008. Electricity customers in test regions are connected to an open electronic marketplace where they can communicate directly with energy traders, distribution system operators and other players. We can benefit from the consumers’ more active participation and increased level of communication with utilities like RWE to develop innovative products and services. We are also taking a novel approach concerning the grid with our “Mülheim Counts” pilot project: By the end of 2010, 100,000 households will receive ‘smart’ power meters with which they can constantly monitor their energy consumption on the Internet. This will help our customers save energy and costs.
Electromobility spares resources and the environment.
In electromobility, we have tapped into yet another promising area of R&D. September saw RWE and Daimler form one of the world’s largest initiatives for the development and testing of mobility concepts for daily use. This model project will be carried out in Berlin, Germany. Daimler will develop the electric cars while RWE builds a customer-friendly infrastructure with some 500 “electric service stations.” As part of the undertaking, we are working on a billing system based on intelligent communication between the vehicle and the charging stations. By enlarging the electric mobility footprint, we intend to improve environmental protection: With electricity as a fuel, renewable, CO2-free energy can be used in road traffic.
