Ambitious energy transition in Munich

In 2018, renewable energy sources such as biomass, wind and solar comprised 40.3 per cent of German electricity production, thereby for the first-time surpassing coal (37.5 per cent in 2018) as the prevailing source in the German energy mix. This transition must continue and accelerate in the coming years in order for Germany to reach the declared goal of phasing out coal entirely from its energy mix by 2038 as a federal coal commission agreed to in January this year.

Munich is years ahead
Munich, however, the capital of Germany’s second most populous federal state Bavaria, will in fact shut down their coal-fired power plants already by 2022. But the actual end date of coal-fired power generation in Munich is still open. By 2025, the plan is to produce as much electricity from renewable energy sources, as the whole city needs. Stadtwerke München – Munich City Utilities – that supplies electricity for more than 95 per cent of Munich’s 800.000+ households already achieved part of the target in 2016 when all power for households and public transport in Munich was generated by renewable energy sources.

Leading the change of district heating
Stadtwerke München wants to achieve a similarly ambitious goal in the heating market by deploying geothermal energy for the city’s supply of district heating.

In its plans for district heating outlined until 2040, the city of Munich will likely be the first German city whose district heating will be fully covered by renewable energy. So far, the city is primarily focused on accelerated development of geothermal energy projects to meet those targets. Already now, there are several geothermal energy fuelled heating plants in the city and the Greater Munich area. Two of these plants are of particularly strategic importance for district heating in the urban area and the adjacent commercial enterprises and the convention area (Messe München) largely supplied with geothermal heat.

Great opportunities for Danish companies
Small and medium sized Danish enterprises that possess energy and sustainable urban development expertise applicable to Munich’s sustainable transition are encouraged to participate in the Access Cities programme.

Current potential challenges:

• District heating and district cooling
• Deploying small heating plants locally
• Grid renewal to carry high pressured media (e.g. water) at greater volumes

Access Cities is challenge driven and will announce all relevant opportunities on the website accesscities.org. We urge all stakeholders to stay in touch to be informed about open challenges and events in Munich where Danish companies are invited to participate and contribute.

Access Cities
Access Cities is an international, public-private project, which aims to strengthen sustainable urban development in five project cities: New York City, Singapore, Munich and the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Aarhus. The project connects actors working with sustainable urban development in the pursuit of game-changing solutions to common issues confronting cities. Access Cities will develop innovative, viable and scalable responses to the most pressing sustainability challenges faced by global city hubs today and tomorrow – in collaboration and via the exchange of documented learnings within the sustainability space.

Access Cities is funded by the Danish Industry Foundation and co-financed by the project partners: State of Green (project lead), the Confederation of Danish Industry, Quercus Group, Climate-KIC, the City of Copenhagen and the City of Aarhus. More information at www.accesscities.org

Access Cities in Munich, Germany
Danish Cleantech Hub, a joint initiative by Confederation of Danish Industry and State of Green, has established an office at the Danish Trade Council’s Innovation Centre in Munich. This collaboration secures a strong platform for knowledge sharing and gives the Danish companies access to a high value network of German companies, utilities, city developers, energy efficiency stakeholders as well as research institutions such as the Technical University of Munich. More information at http://accesscities.org/markets/#munich