E.ON Chairman of the Board Talked on Future Energy Supplies
Dr. Johannes Teyssen, Chairman of the Board of E.ON SE, gave a talk at RWTH Aachen
A changing world of energy requires new strategies. How E.ON seeks to meet new challenges, which strategic decisions have been taken, and what contribution innovations can make in this process – these were the key topics addressed by Dr. Johannes Teyssen in his guest lecture at RWTH Aachen on April 2.
The Chairman of the Board of E.ON had been invited by Professor Rik W. De Doncker, director of the E.ON Energy Research Center (ERC) at RWTH Aachen University. Subsequent to the lecture, Dr. Teyssen and board member Dr. Leonhard Birnbaum took part in a panel discussion moderated by RWTH Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg.
Renewable and conventional energies
According to Dr. Teyssen, the recent dramatic changes in the energy market are leading to a division of the supply system: On the one hand, there is the search for customer-oriented, decentralized solutions based on intelligent distribution networks and renewable energies. On the other hand, there is the conventional world of energy with large, central power stations, which will continue to play an important role in securing future energy supply.
This provides the basis for E.ON’s strategy, which focuses on the business areas renewable energies, energy networks, and customer solutions. The business areas conventional energy generation, global energy trade, and exploration and production will be subsumed under a new corporation. As Teyssen explains, “For us it is clear that we have to focus on one of the two worlds in order to secure entrepreneurial success in the future. For this reason, we will divide our business fields among two corporations – each will be focused on and aligned with its respective world.”
According to Teyssen, technological progress in combination with customer needs has become the major driver of the radical changes in the energy sector. Against this backdrop, Dr. Teyssen declared himself very pleased with the partnership between RWTH Aachen and his company, initiated almost a decade ago: “The decision to jointly establish the E.ON Energy Research Center and its interdisciplinary structure anticipated today’s focus on and importance of innovation. Today, it is essential to be fast in bringing energy-technological change to the market and to the customer. Who is able to do that, and who has the right partners for it, has a competitive advantage.”
Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University
RWTH rector Prof. Ernst Schmachtenberg emphasized the "numerous positive aspects of this public private partnership.” Thanks to the support from E.ON, it was possible within a few years to establish an energy research center that is globally networked and highly recognized internationally. “What Professor De Doncker and his colleagues have achieved in this short period of time deserves the utmost recognition. RWTH Aachen benefits from the outstanding reputation of the E.ON ERC and its staff members in the world of science and beyond.”
As Professor De Doncker explained, thanks to the financial support from E.ON, the research center is able to address fundamental research topics that normally are difficult to fund. “With our activities in research and development, we were able to do a lot of fundamental work. Our key topics include the integration of renewable energies and the further development of energy networks into intelligent networks and customer solutions that gain wide acceptance. In this way, we are able to provide an important contribution to the successful transformation of the energy markets.