“What will the future of energy supply for households look like?” Andreas Pointvogl tried to answer this exciting question at the Global Power & Energy Exhibition on 18th September in Barcelona.

During the technical part of the day, he presented BLUBERRIES’ competences in new business models, future regulatory and technical developments, and its impacts on tariffs to the audience of one of the largest energy exhibitions world-wide. Andreas pointed out what opportunities and challenges arise for the energy industry as a consequence of current trends in this sector. We thank our hosts for this energizing day and want to integrate the input into successful future projects.

The workshop was offered by BLUBERRIES and the Verband Schleswig-Holsteiner Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (VSHEW – federation of Schleswig-Holstein energy and water management). At the event, which was hosted in Nortorf, Schleswig-Holstein, intensive discussions about trends and challenges of the digitalisation in the energy sector took place. BLUBERRIES presented practical concepts and strategies on how municipal utilities (Stadtwerke) can master these challenges.

One of the highlights was the presentation of chat bots developed by BLUBERRIES, which are able to work in different fields of the working environment of municipal utilities.

BLUBERRIES yet again participated at the Stadtwerke Conference 2015 in Düsseldorf and presented itself as the consultancy for energy industry.

At our own BLUBERRIES stand our staff outlined the BLUBERRIES consulting portfolio. Furthermore, our former managing director Paul-Vincent Abs gave a presentation and held the chair of the expert forum for marketing & sales. The major topics were:

• Transformation of the energy market
• Sustainable sales, customer service, customer retention & customer communications 2.0. taking into account Social Media
• Innovations and niche products

» Download a summary of speakers (PDF)

You can find further information at http://www.euroforum.de/stadtwerke.

Bluberries participated at the RWE network partner conference from 27-28 November 2014.
Paul-Vincent Abs shared at a panel discussion, as a part of the “sales cooperation day”, his wide-ranging experiences to the topics “door-to-door sales as well as the steering of sales partners”

More information can be found under www.dienetzwerkpartner.com

Since 7 years our member of the management board and partner, Johannes Burger, is a lecturer at the institute Burg Warberg e.V.

The seminar “logistic contracts within the execution of agricultural trading contracts” (see picture from 21-22 November 2014) gives insights into the risks and funding shortfalls of trading contracts and the connected transport contracts.

Goal of the seminar is to make the trading business, its liability limitations and risks – including transport contracts – more transparent.

More information about the Institute Burg Warberg can be found under http://www.burg-warberg.de

National and international experts gave their views on the future development and promising business models of the industry and discussed these with the participants. Mr. Paul-Vincent Abs hosted several discussion groups during the annual conference.

The following issues were presented and debated lively:
» The current situation in Eastern Europe in a political context and the effects on the gas market
» The next winter is coming – is the security of gas supply guaranteed?
» The gas market yesterday and today: where are the opportunities for new business?
» Movement in the heating market!
» Making the gas grid fit for the future: regulatory adjustments
» Market region switch and GABi Gas 2.0 in practice
» Lateral thinking and thinking ahead allowed – how can innovations revolutionise the gas industry?
» Hopes pinned on small-scale LNG: make use of the opportunities in the industrial and transport sector!

http://www.euroforum.de/veranstaltungen/erdgas
http://bit.ly/Erdgas2014

BLUBERRIES has highlighted the success factors of newly founded municipal utilities together with the Wuppertal Institute. Those who want to get an overview of the study impressions of the team around Dr. Christian Herr and Dr. Kurt Berlo can do this here:

EconStore | Energie und Management | Energate-Messenger | EUWID – neue Energie | ZFK – Zeitung für kommunale Wirtschaft | RathausConsult | Der neue Kämmerer

Those of you who are interested in the whole study can find it under following link (in German): Studie – Erfolgspotentiale bei neugegründeten Stadtwerken

BLUBERRIES supports a project from the UN-platform for voluntary cancellation of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016 BLUBERRIES emitted 160 tons of CO2 for work-related travel activities. BLUBERRIES decided to support the Solar Water Heater Program in India. The project aims to increase the use of solar power resources in India by distributing more solar water heaters and a reduction of electricity consumption, which will help in economic and ecological ways. You can find further information about this project via this link.

In case you are interested in the accompanying data analyses and applied methods, feel free to contact Dr. Tobias Heldt (tobias.heldt@bluberries.de).

Municipal utilities (Stadtwerke) play a central role for the energy transition. On the one hand, they ensure well over half of the supply of electricity, gas and heat in Germany. On the other hand, municipal utilities have a special position in the area of tension between politics, business, and private households due to their municipal roots. Therefore, the question of the study was: How do newly founded municipal utilities achieve and ensure economic success? This question has been central to the study conducted by BLUBERRIES and Wuppertal Institute.

Based on an online survey, the most important results for the four fields of action (cooperation, digitisation, resilience and social responsibility) that have been taken into focus, can be summarised as follows:

1. Cooperation and various forms of collaboration in the start-up stage play a very important role regarding the success of newly established municipal utilities.
2. Focussing on resilience sustainability and climate protection as integral parts of the corporate idea makes a significant contribution to achieving the aims of newly founded municipal utilities.
3. Offering Smart Meters helps to increase customer insights, benefits of customers as well as improve distribution grid management. These do not only support the organisations in the start-up stage, but also in following stages.
4. The direct perception of social responsibility is linked positively to economic success.

You can read the full study here (Language: German)

The profession of project manager and the tasks it involves:

» Together with the children we cleared up the following:
“What is a project? What is a project manager and what are the tasks that he has to perform?“

» Construction of a racing car in several teams:
Preparation: jointly develop and search for tools, materials and work steps.
Implementation: construction of a racing car with our help.

To finish, the teams competed in a race against one another.

Event photos:
Photos of all of the participating companies can be viewed at: www.kinderbusinessweek.de in the “Schnappschüsse” (Snapshots) section.

Teaser film:
You can view the latest clip of the Children Business Week here.

Media reports and guestbook entries:
You can view the press reports at www.kinderbusinessweek.de in the “Presseforum/Medienspiegel” (Press forum/Media reports) section.

Take a look at the feedback from participants and parents in the “Gästebuch” (Guestbook) section.