Securing energy intrastructure
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With water technology that we consistently develop to be safer and increasingly AI-embedded, we contribute tosecure energy intrastructure.
We support the implementation of the energy transition with solutions to replace outdated technology or to generate renewable energy, for example in hydropower stations.
Energy supply is changing. The expansion of renewable energy, increasing electrification, and new decentralized structures are creating new requirements for existing systems. At the same time, reliable supply remains an important prerequisite for the economy, society, and everyday life.
To keep pace with these changes, energy flows need to be used efficiently, technical systems need to be managed intelligently, and different energy sources need to be connected. Our water technology is used in a range of applications – from heating and cooling supply in buildings to systems for generating renewable energy.
Rethinking energy security
Solutions for a changing energy landscape
Today, energy security means more than simply the availability of energy. It must be reliably available where it is needed, while at the same time taking account of new forms of generation and changing consumption patterns.
Digital technologies create new opportunities to make energy and operating systems more transparent. By capturing and analyzing operating data, system conditions can be better understood and operating processes can be managed in a more targeted way.
Artificial intelligence can support the evaluation of large volumes of data, the identification of patterns, and the visibility of optimization potential. This creates additional opportunities to adapt technical systems to changing requirements and further develop their operation on a data-based basis.
Intelligent buildings as part of modern energy systems
Connecting heating, cooling, and energy
Buildings are an essential part of the energy infrastructure. Different systems for heating, cooling, and water supply come together within them. Their increasing digitalization opens up new opportunities to connect these systems and align their operation more closely with actual usage.
Digital control and building management systems can bring together operating data and help make energy flows more transparent. Intelligent pump technology supports demand-based supply and can help manage operating processes more efficiently.
Practical example: EBZ Bochum, Germany
At the European Education Center for the Housing and Real Estate Industry (EBZ) in Bochum, the so-called “smart boiler room” is exploring the opportunities created by the digital networking of technical systems for building operations.
One component of the project is the Wilo-Stratos MAXO. This connected pump technology supports the generation and distribution of heating and cooling within the building. Operating data can be used to adapt system control to current requirements.
The project illustrates how digital connectivity and intelligent pump technology can work together and what possibilities this creates for the operation of modern buildings.
Integrating renewable energy
Water technology for new energy applications
As renewable energy expands, the requirements for technical systems are also changing. Generation and consumption may fluctuate more strongly and must be coordinated across different applications.
Our water technology is used, among other things, in systems that use renewable energy sources. These include, for example, heat pump and solar thermal systems, as well as applications in hydropower.
Digital functions make it possible to continuously capture operating conditions and manage systems according to the respective requirements. This allows different operating requirements and energy flows within technical systems to be taken into account more specifically.
Practical example: Wilopark, Dortmund, Germany
Part of the solar power generated is used in the H2POWERPLANT to produce and store green hydrogen. The H2POWERPLANT produces hydrogen by means of electrolysis and uses electricity from solar, wind, and hydropower sources. When needed, the hydrogen can be converted back into electrical energy via a fuel cell. The resulting waste heat is used within the integrated system for heating purposes, stored, or converted on site into cooling. Depending on the operating conditions, the use of waste heat can increase the usable energy share of the overall system.
Wilopark illustrates how different energy technologies can interact within an integrated energy system.
Resilient infrastructures for reliable supply
Observing, understanding, and operating technical systems proactively
Reliable energy supply also depends on how stably technical systems function in operation. Especially in larger buildings and complex infrastructures, digital monitoring and intelligent control can help identify changes at an early stage and adjust operations in a targeted way.
The continuous capture of operating data creates transparency regarding system conditions. In combination with digital analysis methods and artificial intelligence, this can generate additional information, for example on irregularities, operational changes, or possible maintenance needs.
Practical example: Crédit Agricole Franche-Comté
During the expansion of the headquarters of Crédit Agricole Franche-Comté, pumps from the Wilo-Stratos MAXO series were installed. The control system adapts operation to actual demand and enables demand-based flow control.
This makes it possible to assess energy use in building operations in a more targeted way and to adapt technical supply to different operating conditions. The project shows how intelligent building technology and digital control can help make energy consumption and operating processes more transparent.
Advancing energy supply
Combining water technology, digitalization, and AI
The energy transition is changing not only the way energy is generated, but also the technical systems through which energy is used and distributed. Efficient systems, digital control, and different energy sources are increasingly being connected.
Our water technology is used in these applications. The combination with digital technologies and artificial intelligence creates additional opportunities to evaluate operating data, manage systems more specifically, and further develop existing applications.
