ASEW in Research and Innovation Projects
Bridging Research and Practice
We contribute to research and innovation projects by representing the perspective of municipal utilities and facilitating exchange between research institutions, technology providers, and utility experts. This helps ensure that project concepts address real-world requirements and that results can be transferred into operational environments.
Focus on Applied Innovation
Our projects typically cover the following topics:
- Energy transition
- Digitalization
- Energy and Water management
- Climate adaptation and resilience
- Sustainable infrastructure
We primarily participate in applied research and demonstration projects with a clear practical focus. Activities typically include the testing, validation, and further development of technologies, processes, and business models under real operating conditions.
Our involvement is generally concentrated on solutions that are already beyond the basic research stage and close to practical implementation.
Supporting Project Consortia
Through its network of municipal utilities, we can support project partners by:
- Providing access to utility expertise
- Identifying pilot and demonstration partners
- Gathering user requirements and feedback
- Supporting stakeholder engagement
- Disseminating project results to relevant industry audiences
Benefits for Municipal Utilities
Participation in research projects enables municipal utilities to gain practical experience with emerging technologies, contribute to the development of future solutions, and exchange knowledge with partners from industry, academia, and the public sector. It also helps reduce implementation risks by evaluating new approaches in a structured and collaborative environment before wider deployment.
What is ASEW?
The ASEW (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für sparsame Energie- und Wasserverwendung) is with 400 members Germany’s leading network for municipal utilities , helping energy and water providers successfully navigate the challenges of the energy transition, digitalization, and sustainability.
How we work
- Connect: Bringing together utilities, experts, researchers, and solution providers.
- Enable: Providing practical knowledge, training, and proven approaches.
- Innovate: Initiating collaborative projects and testing new solutions.
- Scale: Sharing successful concepts across the utility sector.
- Support: Helping members transform challenges into opportunities.
Our Members
ASEW’s membership is exclusively composed of municipal utility organizations and their affiliated companies, including integrated distribution system operators (DSOs), covering the energy, water, heating, mobility, and local infrastructure sectors. Find all of our members on the map.
What we offer
- Expert working groups and peer networks
- Workshops, conferences, and training programs
- Best-practice exchange and benchmarking
- Studies, guides, and practical tools
- Strategic consulting and knowledge transfer
- Access to technology providers and research partners
- Dissemination and distribution of project results
Are You Planning a Research Project in the Energy Sector?
Let’s talk! For more than 35 years, we have supported municipal utilities and their affiliated companies, including through research projects that contribute to the energy transition. We bring together researchers, technology providers, and municipal utilities, and our research team is ready to support the development and implementation of practical innovation and demonstration projects.
Contact
Dipl.-Kfm. Stefan Schulze-Sturm
Teamlead Research & Innovation
Ongoing Research Projects
Current research projects
D²HeaTEC
By comparing a decarbonized heat supply with a fossil-fuel-based local heat supply in existing neighborhoods, the project will identify potential opportunities for decarbonization and thereby create a demonstration project for the energy transition.
SCHACH
The SCHACH project aims to identify the causes of failure in energy infrastructure projects. At the same time, it seeks to determine how valuable insights can be gained from these setbacks in order to successfully overcome future challenges.
E-Ska
The E-Ska project systematically identifies the mechanisms and success factors that play a role in resolving dilemmas related to the energy transition at the local level. Building on this, a new approach for replicating successful energy transition collaborations in other municipalities is being developed and tested.
CrowdWater
As part of the project, a decentralized platform is being developed that, in conjunction with measurement tools and software programs, is intended to contribute to more sustainable water use.
PlaWaTT
Together with our partners, we are developing a platform that clearly presents tools and measures for the heat transition. It is intended to serve as a decision-making aid and working basis for stakeholders.