The new cooperation agreement runs for five years (until December 31, 2027). The Hochschule Niederrhein and SWK have already been working closely together since 2011, and this is reflected in particular in the SWK E² - Institute of Energy Technology and Energy Management at the Hochschule Niederrhein.
"We are very pleased to be able to continue our cooperation with SWK Stadtwerke Krefeld AG. It enables our students, in particular through participation in research projects, to pursue contemporary, practice-oriented studies as a basis for an easy entry into a successful professional life," says Professor Jörg Meyer, head of the SWK E² Institute at the Hochschule Niederrhein since 2016. "The joint research projects offer our academic staff the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies," says Meyer, citing another benefit of the cooperation.
The aim of the cooperation is to promote the practical research work of the SWK E² institute and to initiate innovation processes in the companies of the SWK Group by involving as many competencies and faculties of the Hochschule Niederrhein as possible.
In recent years, numerous joint projects have been brought to a successful degree under this premise.
For example, in the interdisciplinary research project Power to X: Hydrogen Buses. In this project, potentials for hydrogen use in the field of mobility were identified and evaluated together with SWK Mobil GmbH.
Another example was the construction of two ultra-modern and efficient mini-cogeneration plants in the Fischeln municipal swimming pool and in a 48-apartment apartment building on Kölner Straße. These were built as part of the NRW KWK-Modellkommune competition. The focus is on decentralized energy supply, the use of combined heat and power (CHP) and how it can be used intelligently.
"The cooperation with the Hochschule Niederrhein is a real success model" says Kerstin Abraham, member of the Board of Management and Labor Director of SWK AG. "We are working together with lecturers from the Hochschule Niederrhein and many talented students to solve technical and economic issues in the context of the energy and mobility transition in an application-oriented manner, and to provide scientific support and preparation. This strengthens our visibility as an attractive partner, service provider and employer."
