Current news
In July 2024, the latest modelling results of the BMWE’s long-term scenarios were released. Together with Fraunhofer ISI, ifeu and TU Berlin, Consentec is working on the follow-up project, with new scenarios expected in Q2/2026. Over recent months, a dedicated “workshop phase” was carried in order to prepare the modelling of the new scenarios; its results are now available as slide decks presenting various analyses. The analyses address key questions raised by the expert community, such as: Under which conditions can CCS power plants be part of a cost-optimal energy system? How do fast-charging stations for heavy-duty vehicles affect electricity grids? What is the role of seasonal heat storages ? These and further insights are available here (ger).
Together with our partners BET, Fraunhofer IEG and IKEM, we have investigated options for further improving the System Development Strategy (German: Systementwicklungsstrategie, SES) for the BMWE. We evaluated the first issue of the SES by conducting interviews with experts from the electricity and gas network operators involved in the SES and the Federal Network Agency. We found particular potential for improvement in terms of a clearer definition of the interface between the SES and the NEP processes: How binding are the anchor points of the SES? How should network development planning deal with uncertainties identified in inter alia the SES process? The SES can also improve infrastructure planning for the interface between the planning processes at transmission level and those at distribution level, e.g., in a future role as a “data hub.” Further recommendations on this and other topics can be found in the published report on the study (ger).
How can we ensure a reliable and affordable electricity supply in Europe? In a new policy brief, our Managing Director, Christoph Maurer, together with his co-authors, demonstrates that national capacity mechanisms require significantly stronger regional coordination. Only then can security of supply be enhanced, costs reduced, and the European power market strengthened. The article has been published here.
As part of the project “Quantitative Economic Feasibility Analysis within Municipal Heat Planning: Methodology, Input Parameters, and Application Examples”, commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), Consentec has compiled typical cost figures for network equipment in the low- and medium-voltage levels, based on its long-standing and diverse project experience related to electricity distribution networks.
These findings have now been incorporated into the recently published update of the Technical Catalogue “Heat Planning” by the Competence Center for Municipal Heat Transition (KWW). The catalogue is intended to support quantitative economic feasibility analyses that are carried out under certain conditions within the framework of municipal heat planning.
The technical catalogue and the accompanying documentation are available online here(ger).
What contribution can heat pumps make to the success of the energy and heating transition, and what benefits do they offer for consumers and grid operators? We addressed these questions in a study commissioned by the German Heat Pump Association (BWP), the results of which were presented at a press event on October 27, 2025. The press release and the summary of the study’s documentation can be found here(ger).