Gabi Zachmann, KIT

About 75 percent of buildings in Germany were constructed before the first Thermal Insulation Ordinance went into effect. To retrofit this enormous number of properties for energy efficiency, housing companies, municipalities, and other building owners need reliable information on which to base their decisions. In the NaiS collaborative project, researchers from KIT have now developed a digital platform in collaboration with partners from academia and industry, where AI-powered applications analyze complex building data within minutes and identify renovation options.

The Helmholtz platform for the design of robust energy systems and their supply chains (RESUR) has entered its second phase, building on Phase I advancements in cross‑sectoral co‑simulation, integrated electricity‑gas‑heat modeling, and crisis‑oriented decision support for complex energy systems. RESUR II combines continued operational readiness for crisis response with expanded, validated system‑level analyses, including stronger sector coupling, scenario stress tests, and holistic resilience metrics to support robust energy and supply chain design.

ESD Topic 1 has released a milestone report on open models and FAIR data for energy systems analysis. It shows how open‑source tools, reusable datasets, and semantic harmonization help address rising system complexity. The report highlights FAIR data, collaborative modelling, and harmonised model outputs via the Open Energy Ontology. The models are all accessible through the Helmholtz Research Software Directory. These models enable transparent, comparable, and future‑ready energy systems analysis.

Shutterstock/Artem Grebenyuk

Ukraine must secure its energy supply under extreme conditions while at the same time planning for the long term. The “Green Deal Ukraïna” project supports this process through scientific expertise, lead by Susanne Nies at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. 

Helmholtz Energy/Setzpfandt

The Helmholtz Energy Parliamentary Evening in Berlin highlighted the importance of strong collaboration between research, industry, and policymakers in driving Germany’s energy transition. Researchers from the ESD program showcased contributions ranging from time‑variable grid fees to enhance grid resilience to cutting‑edge hydrogen rail systems tested in the KIT H₂ Rail Laboratory. Further insights were provided on building a sustainable, secure and affordable energy system, demonstrating how analytical energy system research supports industrial innovation. Across all discussions, participants emphasized that close cooperation between high‑quality research infrastructures and industrial partners is essential for accelerating technology transfer and strengthening energy sovereignty in Europe.

Research on future energy systems is complex — it requires multidisciplinary expertise, high‑quality data, models, algorithms, and robust software. Within ESD Topic 2, we developed and released a set of new open‑source, open-model and open-data solutions designed to make this work faster, easier, and more integrated. A milestone report highlights how the emerging Open‑X suite already supports innovative research approaches — and aims to inspire even broader adoption.