Research project Rhivas
Model-based analysis of transport and energy infrastructures for successful structural change in the Rhenish mining area
The Rhenish mining area between Aachen, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf and Cologne is one of the largest in Europe. The region faces the challenge of a structural transformation in the course of the coal phase-out by 2030. A central component of this is the reorientation of land use, as already prepared by experts in regional discourses with various stakeholders in the interdisciplinary "Spatial Strategy 2038+" initiative for future spatial planning. Concrete foundations for the following questions remained open:
-- What social and technological developments will influence the potential transformation paths?
-- Which transport and energy infrastructures (roads and railway lines, subsequent use of factory railways, electricity grid, hydrogen infrastructure, charging stations and filling stations) will be required in the future?
-- How are political feasibility, economically sustainable profit and social participation and resonance to be assessed in context?
Against this backdrop, the RHIVAS research project (funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport) aims to determine various scenarios for the future transport and energy infrastructure in the Rhenish mining area in terms of requirements and utilisation potential for the time horizon up to 2045. The results are to be prepared transparently for the public as well as for political and economic stakeholders.
Research project Rhivas | |
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Duration | March 2024 to February 2027 |
Funded by | Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (as part of the mFUND innovation initiative) |
Project participants | - Forschungszentrum Jülich – Institute of Energy and Climate Research
- Institute of Networked Energy Systems
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In detail, various scenarios for possible social and economic developments will be developed from the transformation paths for the Rhenish mining area and simulated using models (e.g. job development, commuter traffic and the establishment of companies). In this way, the resulting demand for transport and energy can be determined both locally and over time. The requirements calculated in this way are transferred to the existing infrastructure. Their capacity utilisation is analysed and evaluated on a multi-criteria basis. Finally, specific data products for regional planning in the Rhenish mining area will be available as a target-orientated and socially viable basis for action.
The Institute of Networked Energy Systems is essentially involved in two main areas of work in the RHIVAS research project: Firstly, the DLR researchers are using existing data to carry out a so-called sectoral energy demand analysis, with which the energy demands of the individual sectors of buildings, industry and trade, commerce and services (TCS) are determined in a differentiated manner in order to subsequently integrate them into the simulation.
Secondly, the project team analyses the utilisation of the electricity distribution grid in the Rhenish mining area. Methodologically, the capacity of the infrastructure is compared with demand in the relevant years of the transformation targets (2030 phase-out of opencast mining, 2038 first transformation phase, 2045 climate neutrality) in order to identify local and temporal bottlenecks in the supply. The analysis can be used to identify potential synergies with the existing electricity grid, such as the utilisation of former power plant sites. The results will be used to draw up specific recommendations for action.
