Germany's Best Energy Scouts

The surprise was as great as the moment itself when Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), announced the Zielitz team as the winner of this year's Energy Scout competition in the "Energy and Climate" category. The trainees from K+S, representing the Magdeburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, therefore, beat 59 other chambers of commerce in Germany. With their innovative model for optimizing the air flows in the ventilation shaft, the Zielitz site can save around 152 megawatt hours per year. It is not just the financial benefit that is important here. The savings also correspond to a reduction of 64 tonnes of CO2 equivalents. A remarkable achievement that earned the project team not only victory in the national competition but also an invitation to Berlin, where they were presented with an award at a ceremony.

We need to look at the recent past to shed some light on this topic. The newly implemented system for heating shaft vents at the Zielitz site at the beginning of 2023 also changed the air flow at hoisting shaft 1. This is where the Energy Scouts started their project: During measurements, they identified several obstacles that obstructed the air flow and led to turbulence as the cause of these losses. As a result, the main mine fans required more energy to overcome these obstacles and transport the desired amount of air into the mine.

The Energy Scouts analyzed the problem of high energy losses in the air flow and looked for solutions. Based on this analysis, the team came up with effective measures to optimize the air flow. These include improved cable routing and aerodynamic optimization of the design of the ventilation duct and its fixtures. For this purpose, baffles were installed, and columns were aerodynamically modified. The team consulted a specialist company for ventilation technology to determine the effectiveness of the measures. The aim was to simulate the planned installations and their effect. The simulation showed that the modifications would significantly improve the air flow and reduce the annual power consumption of the main mine ventilators by around 152 megawatt hours.

The three trainees laid the foundations for this remarkable result over several months. Alongside their training, they also gained qualifications in energy efficiency and project management to become more familiar with the Company's work processes and raise their awareness of potential energy savings. They attended seminars at the Frauenhofer Institute in Magdeburg, the Hasseröder Brewery in Wernigerode and Sattler Media Press in Barleben.

"As an energy-intensive company, we are always looking for forward-looking ideas to increase efficiency and benefit climate protection. We, therefore, support this important qualification and are of course even more pleased when our colleagues are even on the winners' podium," said Plant Manager Dr. Ulrich Scheele, pleased with the efforts of his colleagues.

When asked about their success, they don't want to take the credit alone. "Above all, we would like to thank our supporters, without whom we would not have achieved this success," said Sylvio Müller. This refers to Katharina Valeska Voß, who, as a mine management engineer, was on hand above all with her expertise, and Oliver Stapel, who, as a trainer, always supported the three energy scouts in their project. The team would also like to thank Kimberly Kühne, who played a key role in the successful application of the project by creating the video.

The award-winning Energy Scouts have demonstrated that even small changes can have a big impact. Their work not only contributes to energy saving and climate protection, but also inspires others to take similar measures. Felix Janousch, Clemens Kupietz, and Sylvio Müller, together with their supervisors Oliver Stapel and Katharina Voß, have proven that commitment and innovation can go hand in hand to create sustainable solutions for the future.