Half-time for "ReduCO2": Using digital tools to achieve cost-efficient climate protection

Halfway through the project duration, the team of the "ReduCO2" research project takes a preliminary look at the results - and they are impressive. The Centrum für Digitalisierung, Führung und Nachhaltigkeit gGmbH (Campus Schwarzwald for short), based in Freudenstadt, has been working on this important project since October 2022. Together with numerous partners from local authorities, companies and research institutions, the team is pursuing an ambitious goal: to develop energy systems that are both climate-neutral and economically viable. The participants are thus making an important contribution to the sustainable energy supply of the future.

With a term until the end of 2027 and funding of around 4.56 million euros, "ReduCO2" is supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the state of Baden-Württemberg as part of the RegioWIN2030 competition. It is considered an EU lighthouse project and is part of H2BlackForest GmbH.

Important milestones were reached in the first two and a half years. The potential and stakeholder analysis has been completed. It forms the foundation for all other project modules and has identified key challenges and opportunities for the energy transition in the region. One important result is the development of the simulation software, which is now available in version "Release 2". It is being created and further developed under the leadership of the Campus Schwarzwald. The software enables the evaluation of energy systems based on CO₂ emissions, costs and energy balances, taking into account variable electricity prices, consumption data and technical parameters. A special focus is placed on sector coupling: electricity, heating, cooling and mobility are considered and optimized together. This not only saves emissions, but also reduces unnecessary investment costs. This digital basis helps local authorities and companies to make informed plans for future investments.

At the same time, intensive work is currently being carried out on various practical application scenarios. Whether climate-neutral municipal buildings, industrial waste heat utilization or the role of power-to-X technologies, the scenarios are geared towards specific local challenges and are being worked on jointly by the project partners from industry and municipalities.

The path to climate neutrality remains complex, but ReduCO2 proves that digital tools, realistic scenarios and a clear focus on costs make real progress possible. The second half of the project promises exciting developments and shows that climate protection and economic efficiency need not be a contradiction in terms.