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How energy research protects against new threats

Through the 8th Energy Research Programme of the BMWE, new solutions are being developed to enhance energy security. Among these are a planning tool for a climate-friendly, flexible and resilient energy system, as well as adaptive encryption to improve the cybersecurity of energy and water networks.

Our energy system is becoming increasingly complex. Where once a single power plant supplied an entire region, today numerous wind or solar power plants from multiple locations provide energy to households and industry. The shift to a decentralised, climate-friendly energy system presents great opportunities, but also growing demands for stability and resilience. In its 2025 Monitoring Report, the Energy Transition Monitoring Commission highlighted security of supply as a critical indicator of the success of this system transformation, particularly in addressing geopolitical and market risks.

^{Research strengthens resilience and security of supply}

The research projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy through the 8th Energy Research Programme aim to bolster the energy system against these risks. The innovations emerging from these projects provide the technologies and applications necessary to maintain energy security and ensure that the supply remains resilient to fluctuations, disruptions and attacks.

A resilient energy supply is more than just security of supply – it also encompasses protection against cyberattacks, supply disruptions caused by geopolitical uncertainties or sabotage, technological dependencies, and extreme weather events. Research, therefore, creates concrete pathways that go beyond technological innovation, offering planning tools, security strategies and digital protection mechanisms. The “Resilient” and “Kritis³m” projects are two such initiatives.

^{Planning tool for a resilient energy infrastructure}

How does one plan a climate-friendly, flexible and resilient energy system? This is precisely the focus of the Resilient project. It builds on a widely used European open-source model that integrates electricity, heat, gas and hydrogen. New methods enable systematic consideration of uncertainties and a more realistic representation of industrial and CO₂ infrastructure. The results are published in a way that benefits planners, researchers and industry alike. In European case studies, the research team demonstrates how this approach can be used to plan a crisis-resistant, climate-neutral energy system.  

^{Cybersecurity for energy and water networks}

The Kritis³m project strengthens the digital security of energy and water supply systems. Its goal is to reliably protect communication between control centres, network nodes and plants from attacks. To achieve this, the team is developing a flexible encryption system that can adapt to emerging threats, including those posed by quantum computers. Intelligent security modules are also being developed to detect manipulations or attacks at an early stage and trigger alerts. The result is a protection system that can be integrated into existing networks, helping to ensure that critical infrastructure remains stable and secure.

These and other research initiatives provide the foundation for a reliable energy supply. Resilience is therefore becoming a central component of energy security and a key success factor in the transformation of the energy system.