25. November 2025

How can a successful transformation of the heat supply be achieved?

RLI is part of a research project on climate-neutral development of the heating and electricity sector in Birkenwerder and Hohen Neuendorf

The project consortium: Front row, from left to right: Sonja Witkowski (Fraunhofer UMSICHT), Heiderose Ernst (Hohen Neuendorf), Sarah Olischläger (Birkenwerder), Petra Teigel (Hohen Neuendorf), Ilka Cußmann (Reiner Lemoine Institute); Back row, from left to right: Stephan Zimniok (Mayor of Birkenwerder), Carsten Beier (Fraunhofer UMSICHT), Jonas Danke (Reiner Lemoine Institute), Hans Michael Oleck (Hohen Neuendorf), Dr. Jens Horn (EMB Energie Brandenburg), Kai Hohnhold (GASAG), Steffen Apelt (Mayor of Hohen Neuendorf) © RLI

How can the Brandenburg municipalities of Birkenwerder and Hohen Neuendorf supply themselves with climate-neutral heat using renewable energies? What impact will this have on the power grid? What measures are necessary? How can the transformation process be implemented efficiently and cost-effectively? Scientists are researching these and other questions in the KWPconnect project, which has now been launched to complement municipal heat planning. The project team, comprising experts from the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, and the energy supply company EMB Energie Brandenburg, is working with local municipalities to investigate how a successful transformation of the heat supply can be achieved.

The mayor of Hohen Neuendorf, Steffen Apelt, said at the start of the project: “We are very pleased about the positive funding decision! With the competent support of our research partners, we can provide concrete answers to very real and complex challenges for the citizens and businesses in the city. Over the next two years, the researchers will address the following topics: How can we heat Hohen Neuendorf in the future? What costs are we likely to incur? What infrastructure and technologies can ensure security of supply? I am very excited about the discussion process and the results.”

Stephan Zimniok, mayor of Birkenwerder, says about the start of the project: “I have high hopes for the project, which will shed light on and clarify the previously neglected issue of the impact of municipal heat planning on the power grids. I would be delighted if this could also alleviate or at least clarify the fears of citizens. All in all, I am full of anticipation and proud that the municipality of Birkenwerder has the opportunity to participate in such a large-scale project.”

Dr. Jens Horn, Managing Director of EMB Energie Brandenburg, said of the project’s opportunities: “The KWPconnect research project offers us a twofold opportunity. On the one hand, as the owner or co-owner of the gas network in Hohen Neuendorf, Birkenwerder, and over 150 other concession municipalities, we are gaining insights into possible uses after 2045. On the other hand, it helps us as an energy supplier and basic provider to develop realistic and affordable offers for our customers for the personal design of the energy and heating transition.”

By 2045, cities and municipalities must plan their heat supply to be climate-neutral. This means that the energy required for heating must be generated in such a way that no greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. This is stipulated by the Heat Planning Act for all municipalities in Germany.

While municipal heat planning shows ways to achieve a climate-neutral heat supply, the impact of the transformation in the heating sector on the electricity grid has been little studied to date. However, the increasing electrification of heating and mobility, as well as the expansion of renewable electricity generation, are placing greater demands on the electricity grids. The new project aims to help ensure that overloads and a growing need for grid expansion do not become a bottleneck for the energy transition.

Heat supply with renewable energies

In Hohen Neuendorf and Birkenwerder, the project team is investigating how different neighborhood solutions, such as energy communities or local heating concepts, affect the entire energy system and what role the existing gas grid can play in this context in the future. To this end, energy suppliers, administrations, and researchers are working directly together on the project and using insights from dialogue processes with citizens and other local stakeholders to move from municipal heat planning to implementation at the neighborhood level.

Sonja Witkowski, research associate at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, emphasizes: “This is a communication project. We want to make targeted use of the mathematical models developed by research institutes to create added value for local stakeholders. And that can only be achieved through constant exchange and feedback processes with and within the municipalities.”

Ilka Cußmann, Head of the Research Unit Transformation of Energy Systems at the Reiner Lemoine Institute, says: “Local authorities and stakeholders play a key role in the energy transition. With the KWPconnect research project, we want to enable them to visualize the interactions between heat planning and the rest of the energy system and make informed decisions about implementing the heat transition.”

The knowledge gained in the project is intended to have an impact far beyond the project location. The findings will not only be used locally, but also shared with other municipalities and political decision-makers. In this way, the project team is working directly on the future-oriented further development of the municipal heat planning tool.
To ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the results of the project, various measures for knowledge transfer are planned, including practice-oriented workshops and participation in specialist conferences. This will ensure that the findings are made known and can be integrated into the implementation of further projects.

In the first information event, scheduled for April 2026, the project will be presented to local politicians and citizens so that they have the opportunity to actively participate.

About the project

The KWPconnect project “Municipal heat planning meets energy system analysis: Innovative and integral approaches to the efficient transformation of the electricity and heating sector, incorporating the perspectives of local stakeholders“ is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the ”From Plan to Transition” call for proposals under the 8th Energy Research Program with a total of around €1.38 million for the period from October 2025 to September 2027. The consortium will be led by the city of Hohen Neuendorf.