Smart, smarter, enisyst: Energy needs to be intelligently networked today
Interview with Dr. Dirk Pietruschka Managing Partner of enisyst GmbH
The German economy is stuck in a growth crisis. Accordingly, the mood is subdued, and the desire to invest is dampened in many areas. Yet, innovation in Germany is still lived at the highest level, including in the areas of energy and digitalization as two of the most important future topics. Often, it is spin-offs from German universities that combine scientific spirit and entrepreneurship, thus also being able to defy an economically rather poor overall climate. The start-up enisyst from Baden-Württemberg manages this particularly well.
Dr. Dirk Pietruschka has dedicated himself to science. As Managing Partner of enisyst, since 2015 he has also been a research entrepreneur and brings his expertise in sustainable energy technology into real flagship projects – most recently also into the athletics hall of VfB Stuttgart, for whose climate-friendly new building with its own photovoltaic system, enisyst developed the measurement, control, and regulation technology and networked the complex system.
The intelligent building and district control technology is also what, alongside e-mobility and charging infrastructure, makes up the product portfolio of enisyst and makes the company such an important partner for commerce, industry, and municipalities in the energy transition.
Flexibility in energy control is key
Dirk Pietruschka understands the importance of this – and especially the know-how his start-up has to offer. "German companies must become CO2 neutral. However, in the transition from fossil to renewable energy, one thing is particularly important: flexibility in energy control. Alternative energy sources such as wind and solar bring with them a completely different requirement, are more volatile and require storage capacity," he explains.
This is exactly where enisyst's innovative control technology comes into play, enabling a superior control of systems. It responds to both locally available energy sources and the requirements of the power grid, thus creating real efficiency even when considering costs. "For the future flexibility of electricity prices, our control technology is leading the way, because naturally, you want to operate plants when electricity prices are low."
Proactive Perspective as a Recipe for Success
Without a doubt, enisyst is on the cutting edge. It helps that Dirk Pietruschka and his team have little to do with the often-cited academic ivory tower. "In the management, we come from application-oriented research. We work proactively and recognize the right time to enter the market. In the same way, we were also always able to diversify our product portfolio."
With this approach, the well-connected regional startup has recently seen double-digit growth and is currently striving to cushion this dynamism - through optimization of processes and project management, but also by seeking investors. "Growth needs money and for this, we are currently looking for a reliable partner."
Human Beings as the Greatest Asset
Growth naturally also requires staff. And for Dirk Pietruschka, this is truly a matter of the heart. "Even in our field, human beings are the greatest asset. We are proud of our great team; every individual counts." In the technology and university landscape around Reutlingen and Stuttgart, this empathetic perspective may be crucial in attracting skilled workers.
Looking to the future, the enisyst CEO also wishes for something deeply human. "From my point of view, CO2 emissions should be monetized. It simply creates more fairness. And if I may wish for something else: more transparent subsidy rules. This way, we can all better keep up with these major steps towards climate neutrality."