Düsseldorf City Utilities demonstrate admirable progress and persist in funding eco-friendly energy infrastructure.
In the heart of Germany, Düsseldorf's municipal utilities are making significant strides towards a climate-friendly and future-proof energy supply. With a focus on renewable energy expansion, digital innovation, and alignment with national hydrogen initiatives, the utilities aim to invest over one billion euros by 2030.
Key investments include:
- Renewable Energy Expansion: The city is advancing projects such as onshore and offshore wind farms and solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, following Germany's national target to significantly increase the share of electricity from renewables by 2030. While specific Düsseldorf projects are not detailed, the national trend indicates a doubling of onshore wind capacity and more than tripling solar energy capacity by 2030.
- Urban Digital Twin (UDT) Deployment: Düsseldorf has launched an Urban Digital Twin platform to support smart urban energy planning and management. This innovative initiative integrates 2D/3D spatial data, energy consumption analytics, and environmental data to improve transparency, participation, and optimization of energy systems at the municipal level.
- Hydrogen Strategy and Fuel Cell Technologies: Germany's updated Hydrogen Strategy includes subsidies and a focus on green hydrogen to decarbonize sectors like steel and chemicals and provide backup energy capacity. While specific Düsseldorf projects are not detailed, the national emphasis on hydrogen likely encourages related investments by municipal utilities, possibly including fuel cell buses and infrastructure to support clean public transportation.
CEO Julien Mounier emphasizes that these projects contribute to achieving climate protection goals and ensuring sustainable supply security for Düsseldorf's residents.
In the past business year, the Düsseldorf supplier achieved a turnover of 2.8 billion euros, with an annual surplus of 104 million euros, slightly above expectations, due to extraordinary income. Investments in 2023 were at 95 million euros, rising to 125 million euros in the 2024 reporting year. A significant portion of the profit is not distributed to shareholders but remains in the company, strengthening the capital base of the municipal utilities.
More than two-thirds of these funds flow into green measures and projects, such as a climate cooperation with Henkel, where industrial waste heat is used for Düsseldorf's district heating, and an electrolyzer will supply the new hydrogen filling station at Höherweg with hydrogen from the waste incineration plant's biogenic share.
The municipal utilities of Düsseldorf are also constructing a new drinking water tower in Düsseldorf-Gerresheim to secure the drinking water supply for approximately 800,000 people in Düsseldorf, Mettmann, and Erkrath. Additionally, a covered charging park is being created at the Fahrstraße, marking a significant step for e-mobility with a photovoltaic system on the roof.
For more detailed information about these projects, readers are encouraged to consult the digital version of the 2024 Stadtwerke Annual Report. The investments in 2025 are not explicitly mentioned in the provided paragraph, but it was previously stated that around 180 million euros are planned for the current year.
[1] Bundesregierung. (2021). Erneuerbare Energien: Klimaschutz und Wirtschaftswachstum für Deutschland. Retrieved from https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/energie/erneuerbare-energien-178164
[2] Agora Energiewende. (2020). Erneuerbare Energien in Deutschland: Der Weg zur Energiewende. Retrieved from https://www.agora-energiewende.org/de/publikationen/erneuerbare-energien-in-deutschland-der-weg-zur-energiewende
[3] Stadt Düsseldorf. (2021). Düsseldorf digital: Smart City und Urban Digital Twin. Retrieved from https://www.stadt-duesseldorf.de/stadtentwicklung/smart-city-und-urban-digital-twin/
[4] Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie. (2021). Hydrogenstrategie: Grüner Wasserstoff für Deutschland. Retrieved from https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Themen/Energie/Hydrogenstrategie.html
- The municipal utilities of Düsseldorf are investing heavily in renewable energy expansion, aiming to increase the share of electricity from renewables by 2030, as aligned with national targets, including onshore and offshore wind farms, and solar photovoltaic installations.
- In line with national hydrogen initiatives, Düsseldorf's municipal utilities are exploring fuel cell technologies and green hydrogen strategies, with the potential for fuel cell buses and hydrogen filling stations, aiming to decarbonize sectors like steel and chemicals.
- These initiatives align with the environmental science and finance sectors, as over two-thirds of the investment funds flow into green measures and projects, such as using industrial waste heat for district heating and hydrogen production from biogenic waste in new hydrogen filling stations.
- In addition to energy supply, the municipal utilities are also focusing on securing other environmental necessities, such as building a new drinking water tower in Düsseldorf-Gerresheim and creating a covered charging park with a photovoltaic system for e-mobility, emphasizing future-proof sustainability and environmental protection.
