Platform for innovation and shaping the future of energy - FHNW launches the "StromCircle" network together with the PFIFFNER Group and Brugg Cables
New components and operating concepts for electrical grids play a key role in a sustainable energy supply. The FHNW School of Engineering, together with its industrial partners Brugg Cables and the PFIFFNER Group, is therefore founding the StromCircle network to ensure that innovation and training are guaranteed for the grids of the future.At the centre of the network are specific activities and projects that promote cooperation between industry and the university.
Well-trained specialists for the Aargau region
"With StromCircle, we want to ensure that we train and develop the right people as qualified specialists and promote innovation in the field of energy supply. Last but not least, promoting the location is also one of our goals," explains Prof. Dr Doris Agotai, Head of Research and Development at the FHNW School of Engineering.
Counteracting the shortage of skilled workers with the practice-integrated degree programme
"The energy technology sector has a lot to offer," explains Dr Jürgen Bernauer, CEO of the PFIFFNER Group. "With this network, we want to appeal to talented people who are looking for meaning in their profession and want to make a difference." Companies in the energy sector also face the major challenge of finding enough qualified personnel. Among other things, the new study programme of the practice-integrated bachelor's degree (PiBS), which motivates high school graduates to embark directly on a career, combined with a suitable engineering degree at the FHNW, is intended to help. The dual study programme started successfully in autumn 2023.
Close collaboration between industry and universities
The two industrial partners, Brugg Cables and the PFIFFNER Group, have already carried out successful research and student projects with the FHNW in the past. This collaboration is set to become even closer in the future. At the centre of the project are three subject areas that are closely interlinked - and all have something to do with the transformation of energy production, which is currently making the entire sector an exciting field of research.
Firstly, the sustainable energy supply itself. This includes renewable energy sources, but also sustainable and resource-conserving components for the infrastructure that transmits and distributes the energy generated. Secondly, the electrical grids themselves, which are facing an unprecedented transformation thanks to the switch from large, centralised power plants to decentralised, irregularly producing solar and wind systems. Intelligent grids are required to precisely control the load on the grid itself and its components.
The third important topic is the storage of electrical energy. This is also linked to the increasing amount of solar and wind power: Unlike large power plants, energy is not necessarily produced when it is needed, but when the sun shines or the wind blows. This calls for battery storage for short-term storage on the one hand and seasonal storage on the other.
Launch event at the FHNW Brugg-Windisch campus
To mark the official launch of StromCircle, the three founding partners hosted a launch event at the FHNW Campus Brugg-Windisch on 29 January 2024. Around 40 people from a wide range of institutes and departments took the opportunity to network and find out more about StromCircle. A network that is set to grow in the future with additional companies from the energy technology sector:
"New components and operating concepts for power grids play a crucial role in the search for a sustainable energy supply," explains Gianluca Vettese, CEO Brugg Cables. "Our vision for the next five years is that this network will not only grow, but also become an incubator for innovative solutions that revolutionise the efficiency and reliability of the energy infrastructure."
StromCircle
StromCircle entstand auf Initiative der FHNW und bietet eine Plattform für Innovationen und die Gestaltung der Energiezukunft. Als Ökosystem aus Industrie und Hochschule möchte StromCircle die Herausforderungen im Bereich elektrischer Energie gemeinsam angehen.
Weitere Informationen: www.stromcircle.ch