The Energy-Producing Regions of the Future: Rhenish Coalfield

Region

West of the Rhine River between Aachen, Mönchengladbach, Düsseldorf, and Cologne

Cities

Aachen, Mönchengladbach

Area

approx. 5,000 km²

Population

approx. 2.5 million

Companies

approx. 59,000 companies

Living Lab

• “StoreToPower” (conversion of a coal-fired power plant into a molten salt-based heat storage power plant)
• Blockchain real-world laboratories (German only)

Centers of excellence

• RWTH - Aachen University of Excellence
• Forschungszentrum Jülich (Jülich Research Center)
• FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences

Focus

• Digitalization
• Infrastructure
• Development into a model European region for energy and resource security
• Environmentally friendly energy production
• Energy transportation
• Alternative drive systems for transportation
• Resources
• Agrobusiness
• Medical technology