6 November 2024

Erfurt, 06 November 2024: the Thuringian joint projects ZO.RRO II KMU & ZO.RRO 2 for Glass Industry are working on innovative solutions in applied energy research for climate-neutral industry in the second phase with a total budget of over 5 million euros. Digital tools and their application were presented at the ZO.RRO II conference.

One of the aims of ZO.RRO is to use digital tools to demonstrate the path to decarbonisation in energy-intensive industries based on pilot projects. At the ZO.RRO II conference on 6 November 2024, practical insights into their application in various sectors of Thuringian industry were presented. The researchers also presented new findings from the simulation and optimisation of production facilities and the future energy system for the entire state. 

"We want to support companies in Thuringia on their way to climate neutrality, which is why we have been financing the ZO.RRO project from the outset. Because the first companies are showing how it's done, many other companies are already finding it easier. Energy-efficient and climate-friendly production is a real locational advantage for all companies," says Thuringia's Energy Minister Bernhard Stengele.

"It is important to us to support and drive forward the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries through research projects. The close cooperation between science and companies in projects such as ZO.RRO 2 leads to new solutions and innovations that others can learn from," says Stefan Besser from the Energy Research Division of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

One example of the project's digital tools is the energy system model of Thuringia, which is based on an open source tool and is constantly being developed further. Prof. Dr.-Ing Viktor Wesselak from Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, head of the ZO.RRO II SME project, explains: "We are particularly proud of the newly developed graphical user interface, which should enable intuitive use with pre-programmed elements and strengthen the traceability of energy system modelling."

ThEEN acts as a multiplier in the project and was able to further develop the university's tool for use by companies. The so-called "Z.ENO Tool" makes it possible to digitally map the energy system at Thuringian production companies in the chemical, metal, mechanical engineering, electronics and plastics industries and to calculate future scenarios for a climate-neutral supply based on detailed consumption measurements. "Converting the energy supply is necessary in order to secure locations and jobs. Over the course of several years of supporting the companies, we have realised that it is worth making the energy issue a top priority and involving employees in the change processes," says Jana Liebe, Managing Director of the Thuringian Renewable Energy Network (ThEEN) e.V. and Head of ZO.RRO Overall Communication. "We will provide even more support for the latter in ZO.RRO from 2025."

Another example is the energetic digital production twin of the Ilmenau University of Technology, whose applicability to the glass industry was presented at the conference. Project manager Prof. Dr Dirk Westermann explains: "In the ZO.RRO 2 project, we are developing several digital tools and innovative services to implement transformation processes in industry more quickly. As a result of the project, we will use the example of the participating industrial partners to show that the new energy and production planning methods can reduce companies' energy costs. Not only the participating companies will benefit from the pilot projects at the Thuringian production sites. By transferring the case studies to other industries, the overall competitiveness of German industry can be increased."

The ZO.RRO SME project is being supported with 2.3 million euros from the Thuringian Ministry of Energy. The ZO.RRO 2 - Zero Carbon Cross Energy System for Glass Industry project, with seven project partners and funding totalling EUR 2.9 million from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, aims to show how a highly available, sustainable and economical electrical energy supply can be implemented using the Thuringian glass industry and metalworking industry as an example.

Further information on the ZO.RRO projects can be found at www.zorro.energy

Press contact

Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation, Tom Wetzling,

E-Mail: Tel.: 0361 57-3911930

Thuringian Renewable Energy Network (ThEEN) e.V., Maria Siegl,

E-Mail: Tel.: 0361 663 82 286

About ZO.RRO II SMEs - Zero Carbon Cross Energy System - Case Study Thuringia

ZO.RRO II is a Thuringian energy research project that is investigating the transformation of our energy system. Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and the Thuringian Renewable Energy Network (ThEEN) e.V. want to demonstrate the decarbonisation of the energy supply in Thuringian industrial companies. A central tool for this is energy system modelling based on open source software. This was used to calculate transformation paths for the whole of Thuringia in a model, which represents an important scientific basis for the energy policy discussion in the state. A further development of the energy system modelling, the Z.ENO tool, is also used to calculate transformation paths for small and medium-sized Thuringian production companies (SMEs), taking various sectors into account. ZO.RRO II is funded by the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation from 01.01.2022 to 01.07.2026.

About ZO.RRO 2 - Zero Carbon Cross Energy System for Glass Industry

The example of the glass industry shows that a consideration of individual measures cannot exploit the full potential in terms of energy efficiency and decarbonisation of the industry and must extend across the fields of action: Transformation of core processes, transformation of sector-coupling secondary processes, adaptation of electrical distribution networks and optimised energy provision and energy services. The aim of the ZO.RRO 2 project is therefore to use the example of the Thuringian glass industry to show how a highly available, sustainable and economical electrical energy supply can be realised. The project is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection for the period from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2026 (funding reference 03EI4073A-F).