Introducing our Cluster Initiator: RWE
Powering a Net Zero Energy Future
About RWE
With its investment and growth strategy, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the energy system. As one of the leading renewable energy companies, RWE is investing billions of euros to expand its generation portfolio, especially in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy and batteries. Supported by an integrated portfolio of renewables, battery storage and flexible generation, RWE is well positioned to address growing global electricity demand, driven by further electrification and artificial intelligence.
Key Facts
- Around 20,000 employees
- Global presence in almost 30 countries worldwide
- Sustainability: RWE will phase out coal by 2030 and will be net zero by 2040
Current Challenges: Balancing demand, climate protection and affordability
What are the most pressing challenges in your field right now?
“The most pressing challenge in our field is definitively to meet the increasing power demand and at the same time protect the climate and keep energy affordable.”
Which developments do you expect to have the biggest impact on your business in the coming years, whether as a challenge or a driver?
“We are committed to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels. We want to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 without neglecting the other relevant targets namely security of supply and affordability.”
Innovation Focus: Advancing technologies for the energy transition
In which innovation fields are you active today, and which topics do you want to drive forward with startups, research and the BRYCK Startup Alliance?
“We are active in a variety of innovation fields along our strategic business units covering for example wind and solar, batteries, hydro, biomass, hydrogen and trading. Last year, we have been active in more than 200 innovation projects. Our engineers, developers, technicians and scientists are looking forward to working together with startups, universities and the BRYCK Startup Alliance on innovative ideas and new technologies within these fields.”
Which technologies or solutions are particularly relevant to you?
“We are highly interested in innovative solutions that help us to meet tomorrow’s challenges today. Recent examples are large scale hydrogen production and storage projects, using recyclable blades at our offshore wind farms or fast responding batteries.”
Ecosystem: Open innovation through the BRYCK Startup Alliance
What’s your main goal in partnering with the BRYCK Startup Alliance?
“Our main goal is to significantly expand our open innovation approach by getting into contact with innovative startups, new technologies and young talents. We are looking forward to joining the BRYCK Startup Alliance network and building the future together.”
How can the BRYCK Startup Alliance help to accelerate the transfer of research into business practice?
“We see the main advantage of the BRYCK Startup Alliance in bringing together research, startups and industry and by that providing resources and expert mentorship to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries on the one hand and commercial applications on the other hand.”
How do other ecosystem players in the BRYCK Startup Alliance such as investors, incubators, experts or researchers contribute to your corporate innovation?
“For us, especially researchers are important contributors to our corporate innovation. The vast majority of our more than 200 innovation projects are in cooperation with academic partners.”
Why is it important to build an ecosystem rather than relying on single partnerships or matchings when it comes to transferring research into the economy?
“We see value in greater innovation and value creation from connecting several diverse stakeholders through an ecosystem and thereby ensure diversity of expertise as well as inclusion of multiple perspectives. Typically, ecosystems do also accelerate innovation faster, scale more effectively and are far more resilient compared to single partnerships.”
Looking ahead ten years from now, how would you describe a successful partnership with BRYCK Startup Alliance?
“Ideally, in ten years time we have identified and effectively integrated disruptive technologies that drive forward the energy transition while at the same time keeping the system reliable and affordable.”
Startup Collaboration: Learning and scaling with startups
Have you had successful collaborations with startups in the past?
“Yes, we have had several successful collaborations with startups in the past. One of them is Indeximate Ltd from the UK, that has won our 2023 global innovation competition. They have developed an advanced data transfer and analytics solution for subsea cable condition monitoring. Since then the technology has been successfully demonstrated at a single wind turbine and now the commercial roll out to the first offshore wind farm is in preparation.”
What have you learned from these collaborations that could also inspire other startups and corporates?
“Startups and large corporations often represent very different worlds, especially when it comes to processes and hierarchies. At first, it is somewhat challenging for both partners to adapt to each other’s working methods. So everyone needs to be a bit patient. A valuable lesson is, that in most cases this effort is worth it for both.”