North Rhine-Westphalia is Europe's main energy region. Especially when it comes to renewable sources of energy, the federal state is a frontrunner. 3,200 of its companies are working on technology that will help us utilize the energy sources of tomorrow.

RWE is one such company: by 2020, the global player aims to raise the amount of alternative energy it generates from five to 20 percent. To this end, the energy conglomerate invests no less than one billion euros in its subsidiary “RWE Innogy” each year, a company which focuses on inexhaustible resources such as water, wind and solar power as well as biomass and concentrates all its competencies in this segment. The corporation commenced its activities in 2008 with approximately 600 employees and an annual turnover of nearly 400 million euros.

With 14 percent of its output stemming from alternative energy sources, E.ON is another primary example of a company which generates a substantial amount of its electricity through the sustainable utilization of natural resources. Under the label “Climate & Renewables” the company realizes all of its activities in the field of regenerative energy. With a total of 87 billion euros and around 93,500 employees, E.ON is the world's largest private electricity provider.

More and more foreign energy companies are beginning to discover the benefits of North Rhine-Westphalia as a business location. One of these is the Norwegian company Statkraft, which established its European headquarters in Düsseldorf in 1999. For Managing Director Dr. Torsten Amelung, the reasons for this decision speak for themselves: “Statkraft's most important clients are located in North Rhine-Westphalia. There is an extremely high demand for energy in Germany's most densely populated federal state. That is why we chose to build two power plants in North Rhine-Westphalia to be able to provide our clients with environmentally friendly energy at competitive prices firsthand.”

Excellent research environment

One of North Rhine-Westphalia's most appealing advantages is its highly dense network of know-how. As far as the Dutch solar panel manufacturer Solland Solar Cells is concerned, this was one of the key factors in its decision to locate here. Managing Director Jac Hanssen explains: “We require highly qualified personnel for our production. The potential of acquiring such employees is very high in this region. Additionally, the excellent research landscape in the Aachen region enables us to develop new technologies, products and manufacturing techniques.”

Researchers at more than 20 of the federal state's institutions deal with topics such as solar heat, geothermal energy and water power. This includes such renowned institutes as the Jülich Research Center, the German Aerospace Center in Cologne, the Center for Fuel Cell Technology in Duisburg and the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim.

Many of the companies based here support intensive research efforts in the field of energy and related areas through public-private partnerships. E.ON, for example, has invested 40 million euros in the E.ON Energy Research Center at the University of Aachen. RWE and ThyssenKrupp support the nuclear technology departments at both the University of Aachen and the nearby University of Applied Sciences by providing four million euros over five years. Hitachi likewise supports universities in North Rhine-Westphalia with a total of 22.5 million euros.

No. 1 state for energy technology

The EnergyAgency.NRW serves as a bridge between science and the energy industry. It functions as both a strategic platform and a consultant for companies in the federal state. Dr. Frank-Michael Baumann, the organization's director, is positive: The federal state is optimally equipped for the future. “North Rhine-Westphalia is the No. 1 state for energy technology in Germany. In a few years, when ten percent of the world's energy needs must be met with renewable sources of energy, companies from North Rhine-Westphalia will have outstanding chances in this market.”

Meeting place of the industry

Each year, the leading European trade fair “E-world energy & water” provides industry representatives with information regarding the challenges and perspectives of this market. Exhibitors from more than 20 countries gather in Essen to present the latest innovations in the electricity, gas and water industries as well as in the field of energy technology.

In 2009, 16,800 professionals from more than 30 countries used this platform, which serves as a central meeting point for representatives from the entire industry, as an opportunity to network and exchange information.