SynErGame

Are you interested in climate protection and the energy transition? With SynErGame you can find out in a playful way how industry can contribute to the energy transition with flexible power consumption. Try it!
For many people, but especially for industry, it is currently difficult to assess what exactly we can expect if we increasingly rely on wind and solar power instead of coal-fired power plants. In SynErGame, you can experience for yourself how the natural fluctuations in the supply of electricity can be brought under control using renewable energies. Namely through energy flexibility, i.e. the adaptation of energy-intensive production processes to the fluctuating power supply. Industry uses almost half of all electricity in Germany. It is therefore very important to increase energy flexibility there, so that the energy transition can be successful.
In SynErGame you can choose between two game modes:
• In the game mode "City" you take responsibility for the power grid of a city. You control the energy demand of different industrial buildings, for example factories in which different production processes take place. Your goal is to achieve a balanced energy balance and to ensure that supply and demand do not drift too far apart - only then will the power grid remain stable. If you manage to do this over several rounds, you have won the game and receive points depending on how good your energy balance is. If you don't succeed, the power grid in your city will collapse and the blackout will become a reality. If this happens to you, don't give up and try again!
• The "Company" game mode presents you with the challenge of an industrial company to produce economically despite fluctuating electricity prices. Your company manufactures silicon wafers - the basis for modern electronics such as smartphones, tablets or televisions. The production requires a lot of electricity. That is why it is very important for you to always use electricity when it is cheapest. The nice thing about it is that exactly then the electricity is also “green”, because if a lot of wind and solar power is available, the prices are also low. You win the game if you have made enough profit for your company to build two new buildings and buy two technical upgrades. To do this, you have to cleverly control your production!
The following applies to both game modes: The electricity supply depends only on the weather and cannot be influenced by you. Sunshine and strong wind each ensure a high supply of electricity and thus low prices, while clouds and weak winds in turn mean little available electricity and thus high prices. You will see for yourself while playing: With the right solutions, the energy transition is also feasible for industry!
If you are interested in the topic, take a look at the SynErgie research project. As part of the project work, the Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production at the University of Stuttgart developed the SynErGame together with LAB132.