Combined power for the energy transition: ENGIE at the E-world energy & water 2024

Whether decarbonisation, green energy, customer-oriented strategies or professional expertise in hydrogen, intelligent energy management and more - ENGIE demonstrated its expertise at E-world energy & water 2024. A well-attended trade fair appearance, successful specialist presentations, intensive discussions and many new impulses made the event a success for us. In this article, we take a look back at the trade fair for you.

Mega-event: That was E-world energy & water 2024

The E-world energy & water is Europe's leading trade fair for the energy industry. It is both a mega-event and an industry meeting place for all those who want to shape the future of the energy sector. Once again, the event broke all records and closed with new records: 923 exhibitors from 30 nations presented solutions for the energy supply of tomorrow at E-world energy & water 2024. Around 30,000 visitors gathered information on the days of the trade fair from 20 to 22 February. Professional dialogue, intensive networking and a collegial get-together for the industry were at the forefront of this top event in Essen.

Overview of topics: ENGIE at the E-world energy & water 2024

For ENGIE teams from all over Europe, there is no question of being present at E-world energy & water. For us, the energy trade fair is clearly characterised by diversity - and thus the diverse solutions of the ENGIE Group. We have bundled our wide-ranging expertise under this motto. ENGIE Deutschland, ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales, ENGIE Impact, ENGIE Renewables, Storengy Deutschland, Tractebel and Solarimo were among those present.

Dave Gebauer, Head of Sustainable Solutions, was one of the ENGIE colleagues who were able to experience the trade fair event for the first time. He briefly describes his impressions of the trade fair for you:

As Dave Gebauer reports, we once again impressed numerous visitors - including companies, local authorities and other stakeholders - with our customer-centred solutions. We also continued to network ENGIE as an innovator. E-world energy & water provided the perfect networking platform for this. We were able to strengthen existing relationships and make new contacts during numerous customer meetings.

The multifaceted world of green energy

In addition to green energy, flexibility plays a key role in the cost-efficient restructuring of our energy system. The ENGIE Group was able to score points in this field with a versatile portfolio. Economical solutions are currently in high demand on the energy market - no wonder: after all, we are going through turbulent times. Katrin Fuhrmann, Head of Origination at ENGIE Deutschland, is well aware of this. Just last year, she summarised the energy crisis for our magazine. At E-world energy & water 2024, she made it clear what is particularly important this year:

Other topics were also in high demand at this year's trade fair. These included electromobility and charging solutions at our stand. Our colleagues from Solarimo also had a lot to discuss and present when it came to rooftop photovoltaics.

Flagship projects in the field of hydrogen

We were particularly pleased with the great interest in the topic of hydrogen along the entire value chain. This time, we focussed on the presentation of two specific projects:

HyNetherlands - hydrogen production on a gigawatt scale

The HyNetherlands project aims to develop, build and operate one of the first large-scale industrial value chains in Europe for the production and supply of hydrogen from renewable energy in the northern Netherlands (province of Groningen).

Electrolysers could start producing hydrogen there in 2026 and gradually ramp it up to 1.85 GW. The output represents a crucial piece of the puzzle for the energy transition in the region and in Europe. At our stand at E-world, visitors were able to enter the planned plant using virtual reality goggles and follow the production of hydrogen through to its final application at various levels.
 

SaltHy - taking the storage problem into account

E-world visitors paid particular attention to the "SaltHy" project from Storengy.  The abbreviation stands for: Storage Alignment with Load and Transport of Hydrogen - an infrastructure concept for the production and storage of hydrogen in northern Germany. The centrepiece of the project is an underground hydrogen storage facility. What makes it special: SaltHy stores the gas in large salt caverns in Harsefeld near Stade. An estimated 36 million standard cubic metres of hydrogen can be stored there. There is also a planned electrolyser with a capacity of 100 MW at the storage site. The associated industrial-scale supply network is to be realised primarily via pipeline and rail. It will be fully operational by the middle of the next decade at the latest, and the first project phases have already begun.

The municipal heating transition - a hot topic

Another top topic was the municipal heating transition. From planning and digital tools to specific implementation options, our experts provided specialist advice. There was lively interest in the partnership concept that ENGIE has developed specifically for municipal players. Axel Popp, Head of Business Development Heating Networks and Geothermal Energy at ENGIE Deutschland, takes stock of this at E-world:

On the way to a climate-friendly future - Impact with ENGIE

For our colleagues from ENGIE Impact, the focus at E-world energy & water 2024 was on intensifying customer contacts and gaining new interested parties. Anne-Katrin Hagel and her team showed major customers in particular how they can drive the energy transition forward now. The Director Sustainability Solutions at ENGIE Impact summarised the event:

Know-how live in Essen - the first podcast with ENGIE!

Another highlight at E-world energy & water 2024 was our participation in a podcast organised by the specialist publisher energate. At the live event, Daniel Mercer provided inspiring practical insights together with other experts from the energy industry. The Managing Director of Storengy explained how gas storage works, the storage potential in Germany and the particular challenges of hydrogen storage.

Missed an event? No problem - you can listen to the podcast in German here for free:

Something with energy live from E-World in Essen

Our presentations at E-world energy & water 2024

During E-world energy & water 2024, we offered even more presentations in the specialist forums. This year, ENGIE experts spoke about two key topics of decarbonisation: synthetic fuels and traceability of energy sources.
 

Saravanan Manivel on green ammonia

During the Hydrogen Solution Forum at E-world energy & water 2024, Saravanan Manivel spoke on the topic of "Green Ammonia". The Director Low Carbon Fuels at ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales showed how a low-carbon ammonia market can be realised along with an integrated NH₃ value chain. The presentation was aimed at all players in the ammonia value chain - from production, infrastructure and distribution to industry as the end user. In fact, there are many exciting utilisation scenarios for Europe when it comes to ammonia, as Saravanan Manivel reported at the trade fair:

Ali Guncan on the situation on the gas market

Ali Guncan spoke on the subject of gas at the New Energy Systems Forum. Together with Andreas Guth from Eurogas and Thierry Matthieu from Attributes, the business developer from ENGIE Global Energy Management & Sales shed light on today's requirements for gas procurement. They provided important insights into how the traceability of energy demanded by end consumers, shareholders and legislators can be guaranteed.

Conclusion: That was E-world energy & water 2024

Our participation in E-world energy & water 2024 was characterised by a successful trade fair appearance, numerous intensive discussions and a wealth of new ideas. We are starting the coming, undoubtedly challenging times in the energy sector with this momentum. We are also looking forward to E-world energy & water next year. As an innovator in the energy sector, ENGIE's diverse teams will join forces to drive forward the energy transition and develop suitable solutions for complex issues.