On November 30, 2018, the official opening event of the joint junior research group "SaxoGRID" of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and TU Dresden took place in the town hall of the city of Zittau. Dr. Stephan Meyer, Member of the Saxon State Parliament, the Lord Mayor of Zittau Thomas Zenker, the Rector of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences Prof. Friedrich Albrecht and, representing the Rectorate of TU Dresden, Vice Dean Prof. Klaus Röbenack accepted the invitation of the project leaders. Representatives of the Saxon State Ministry of Science and Art and numerous industry representatives were also welcomed.
In his welcoming address, Dr. Stephan Meyer highlighted the "highly exciting" networking between the Zittau/Görlitz Energy University and TU Dresden and emphasized the importance of the young scientists working together with industry to develop solutions for energy networks with decentralized power plants so that an affordable supply with a high level of security and environmental compatibility can continue to be guaranteed. He also emphasized the great importance of research and innovation in the context of structural change, whereby an innovation campus can be a way of bringing scientists and companies as well as start-ups together and keeping jobs and added value in the region.
Mayor Thomas Zenker outlined Zittau's historical and current cross-border connections in Upper Lusatia and linked them to the requirements of structural change and the energy transition. The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences is a "jewel" for the city of Zittau and a necessary active partner to accompany the structural change through research and the innovations of its graduates.
The Rector, Prof. Friedrich Albrecht, particularly emphasized the networking between the TU Dresden and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences with local industrial companies. In particular, cooperation with industrial partners is to be further intensified so that students at the university can gain an insight into current research topics and at the same time contribute to strengthening engineering expertise at the university location of Zittau.
Vice Dean Prof. Klaus Röbenack particularly emphasized the joint traditional cooperation between TU Dresden and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, which has been demonstrating the added value of adjacent and non-replacing research areas for strengthening Saxony's electrical power engineering and national and international reputation for decades.
Prof. Stefan Kornhuber from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences introduced the project as part of the European Social Fund funding. The expected dismantling of conventional power plant capacities due to the energy transition will affect Lusatia in particular. It will therefore be necessary to stabilize the situation on the labour market in the energy technology sector, to strengthen the structural conditions for industrial structures and to improve the conditions for regional research institutions.
The demands placed on Saxony's grid operators are not limited to grid expansion and restructuring, but also include the development and further development of concepts for the operational management of their grids. Through its work, the junior research group "SaxoGRID" aims to help overcome the challenges posed by the renewable generation plants distributed throughout Saxony with regard to the reliable supply of electrical energy.
With the help of this junior research group, the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and the TU Dresden can continue and expand their long-standing, proven cooperation in the field of electrical grid management and insulation technology and utilize synergies. This will ensure that the Saxon universities are excellently positioned scientifically in the field of electrical energy supply in the course of the energy transition and can make fundamental contributions to the further development of the competence carriers and industrial companies as well as to the modernization of the electrical energy supply in Saxony
Prof. Peter Schegner and Prof. Steffen Großmann from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TU Dresden gave a short presentation on the complementary focal points at TU Dresden and Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. They gave an insight into the effects on grid stability, operational management and stress on electrical components due to decentralized inverter-based feed-ins, which lead to high-frequency harmonic loads on the grids.
At the end of the event, the cooperation for the period from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021 between the two universities and all participating industrial partners was contractually sealed by the signing of a joint declaration of intent.
The junior researchers Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Jun Ting Loh, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Jonathan Hänsch, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Benjamin Küchler and Dipl.-Ing. Jan Linde then took part in a discussion on the sub-projects. In addition, the industrial partners presented their activities in the field of electrical energy technology.
Everyone involved wished the young researchers a good start and every success in solving the questions posed in the project.
Dresden University of Technology
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Institute for Electrical Power Supply and High Voltage Technology
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Steffen Großmann
Professorship for High Current and High Voltage Technology
