Düsseldorf, 8.3.2023 – At the first “Future Energy Talk”, hosted jointly by the EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, everything revolved around energy and the talents of tomorrow on Tuesday (7 March). In front of over 200 guests in the historic turbine hall of the Düsseldorf energy supplier, Stadtwerke CEO Julien Mounier, EUREF founder and CEO Reinhard Müller and Wilo CTO Georg Weber presented the climate-neutral energy concept of the new campus, which will open at the airport’s long-distance railway station in 2024. The evening was entertainingly hosted by well-known radio and TV journalist Jörg Thadeusz. The dinner was served by the Klüh Catering team.

The evening’s keynote speaker was Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia. “The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has clearly shown us the urgency of the energy transition. We are now accelerating the expansion of renewables in order to become independent of fossil fuels as quickly as possible and pave the way for North Rhine-Westphalia to become a sustainable industrial state. At the EUREF-Campus, we are demonstrating that it is possible to harmonise prosperity, good jobs and competitiveness with climate protection. The campus brings together driving forces from companies, research, university teaching and start-ups and thus bundles the innovative technologies and forward-looking ideas that we need for the transformation. This has radiance for the whole of North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond.”

With an intelligent lake water utilisation concept that is unique in this dimension in Germany, the EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf, where 4,000 people have their workplace, is supplied with climate-neutral energy. Julien Mounier, CEO of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf: “The core idea is to combine various renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources. Each of these sources will be optimally utilised through intelligent networking so that the city of Düsseldorf’s climate targets for 2035 can be met from the outset. The future energy supply is based on an innovative combination of solar energy and the use of a natural source of heating and cooling – namely the water from the neighbouring Lichtenbroich quarry pond.”

Reinhard Müller: “We don’t need coal, gas or oil. This makes the EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf secure and independent. Our energy concept also shows how our EUREF community works. From planning to operation, it is based on cooperation. Without our strong partners such as Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, which operates our energy centre, Schneider Electric, BLS and Wilo, we would not have been able to achieve this. Our thanks also go to the state government and the state capital of Düsseldorf for their support.”

Wilo was able to announce further news at the “Future Energy Talk”. The Dortmund-based global market leader for pump technology will be setting up an electrolyser at the EUREF Campus Düsseldorf to produce green hydrogen on site.

At the “Future Energy Talk”, there was news not only about technology, but also about the educational initiatives at the new location. Karin Teichmann, Spokeswoman of the EUREF AG Management Board: “We will establish the EUREF Talent Campus in Düsseldorf and are working closely with four universities to this end. Master’s degree programmes will be offered in English and will focus on future topics such as smart energy and sustainable mobility. We are building this talent campus with and for companies from all over North Rhine-Westphalia.”

The Talent Campus receives academic support from Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the Ruhr University Alliance, which consists of TU Dortmund University, the University of Duisburg-Essen and Ruhr University Bochum. Prof. Manfred Bayer, Rector of TU Dortmund University: “We are convinced that the EUREF-Campus in NRW can become a development area for innovative and forward-looking degree programmes. We are delighted to be involved from the very beginning. The planned English-language Master’s degree programmes will bring international experts to the Ruhr region. Thanks to the links with industry, this is an ideal basis for future research and development projects.”

As part of the “Future Energy Talks”, further partnerships were also signed for the development of the study programmes: for SPIE Germany and Central Europe by Bianca Stöhr, Member of the Executive Board, and for the Wilo Foundation by Evi Hoch, Member of the Executive Board. Both companies hope that the partnerships will help them to find more qualified young people with precisely the skills needed to tackle the consequences of the climate transition – and to do so virtually in-house.