European Defence Agency Energy & Environment CapTech 6th meeting in Vienna with active Slovenian participation

The 6th Energy and Environment CapTech (EnE) meeting, held under the auspices of the European Defence Agency (EDA) on the 13th and 14th of February, 2024, in Vienna, Austria, convened representatives from industrial sectors and defence ministries from over 20 European countries. This gathering included more than80 industry experts alongside delegates from 15 individual Ministries of Defence (MoD).

Hosted by the Austrian National Defence Academy, the event provided a crucial platform for aligning the defence needs of the European Union, the European Defence Agency, and individual Ministries of Defence with innovative technological solutions from the civil sector.

Central to the discussions was the imperative to synchronise defence requirements with technological advancements, highlighting the pivotal role of civilian representatives in offering innovative solutions.

The event also saw significant participation from a strong Slovenian delegation supported by the SiEnE partnership and the Slovenian Ministry of Defence.

The event brought together experts from the European Commission, EU Ministries of Defence, the European Defence Agency (EDA), industry, academia, and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), underscoring the commitment to collaborative innovation in defence technology.

This event also showcased professional and technological solutions, along with breakthrough technologies, to address environmental and energy-related challenges in the defence and security sector.

Engaging presentations from both international and Slovenian experts highlighted future technologies and exemplary practices, with particular attention to hydrogen solutions in areas such as:

• “Energy Transformation in a defence-specific context – Status, Challenges & Technologies”,
• “How can the connection between demand and response with proper energy management improve the energy efficiency of buildings”,
• “Next generation grid management enabling the energy transition”,
• “Potentials in modular, mobile energy storage systems”,
• “The Strategic Role of DC Distribution Grids in Enhancing Resilience and Efficiency for Europe’s Future”,
• “Vertical Axis Wind Turbine with Centrifugal Flaps”,
• “Renewable energy prosumer communities”,
• “Hydrogen-ready engines for decentralized applications. Net-zero trigeneration and backup power: Transforming energy systems and advancing diesel replacement”,
• “Strategic use case: Use of hydrogen as an energy vector”

The meeting emphasised the urgency of expediting procedures and focusing on the readiness of civilian stakeholders to engage in collaborative efforts.

A dedicated hydrogen workshop provided a focused platform for exploring the potential of hydrogen solutions in the defence sector, fostering insightful discussions and knowledge exchange among participants.

The meeting concluded with optimism regarding future collaboration and innovation in defence. As stakeholders continue to leverage collective expertise and resources, the event stands as a testament to the power of collaboration in driving the transformation of defence technologies and capabilities.”

Active participation of Slovenian partners and the SiEnE partnership

The Slovenian delegation, comprising six civilian experts from the TECES Partnerships Slovenian Expert Base (SiTEB), along with two representatives of the Slovenian Ministry of Defence, played an active role in the event programme, supported by both TECES and the Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence (SiEnE).

Dr Miha BOBIC, from DANFOSS TRATA d.o.o., delivered a presentation on how the connection between demand and response through proper energy management can significantly enhance the energy efficiency of buildings.

This event also provided an invaluable opportunity for meeting with international project partners and EDA officials to discuss further developments related to the ‘Energy Positive and Zero Emission Rapidly Deployable Buildings (E+ZERO)‘ Category B project proposal, spearheaded by TECES and the Slovenian Ministry of Defence.

Friderik Knez, from the Slovenian National Building and Civil engineering institute (ZAG), serving as the Technical Lead of the E+ZERO project, along with Dr Andrej KITANOVSKI from the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, utilised this meeting to discuss technical aspects of the project in detail.

Additionally, Matej GAJZER, managing director of TECES and president of the SiEnE partnership, who also serves as the EnE CapTech Industry Rapporteur, played a pivotal role in facilitating dialogue between ministries and industry stakeholders. The SiEnE partnership’s sponsorship of the event dinner further underscored the critical importance of cross-sectoral collaboration in fostering innovation at gatherings such as the EnE CapTech.

For more information about EDA’ CapTechs

Take a moment to explore EDA’s website or watch the EDA’ movie below.

Picture Gallery

Take a look at some highlights from the event and parallel activities.