From Energy Strategy to Implementation: IfE Provides Long-Term Support to ESN in the Transformation of Energy Supply

August 11, 2026

Source: Institute for Energy Technology

Since 2021, the Institute for Energy Technology (IfE GmbH) has been supporting ESN Deutsche Tischtennis Technologie GmbH in Hofheim with the strategic development of its energy supply. Starting with an operational energy concept, a comprehensive transformation process has unfolded over several years—ranging from renewable self-supply and energy efficiency, through a transformation plan, to the concrete implementation of investments and the ongoing energy optimization of the site.

The energy transition in an industrial setting means more than just implementing individual technologies. It is crucial to coordinate investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and new supply technologies and to integrate them step by step into operational practice.

The collaboration between ESN Deutsche Tischtennis Technologie GmbH and the Institute for Energy Technology (IfE) GmbH—which began in 2021 with a corporate energy strategy and was funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy—demonstrates how this can be achieved.

From Energy Concept to Concrete Investment

In the first step, the IfE analyzed the energy supply and energy consumption at the production site and examined various options for increasing efficiency and making greater use of renewable energy.

A key component was the further development of the company’s self-generation capacity using photovoltaics. When the opportunity arose to acquire an open-field PV system that was already in the planning stages, it was integrated into the company’s long-term energy supply based on the energy concept. At the same time, further potential for savings and optimization was examined and evaluated.

In 2023, ESN continued on this path with a transformation plan—funded by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). Building on the findings to date, the IfE worked with the company to further develop the long-term energy and decarbonization strategy, considering, among other things, energy efficiency, electricity supply, heat and process heat provision, and the increasing electrification of the site.

Ongoing Support Through Implementation

Even after the completion of the transformation plan, the collaboration continues. Under a long-term framework agreement, the IfE supports ESN with new investments as well as with ongoing energy-related technical and economic issues.

The scope ranges from operational optimization to reduce energy costs, to consulting on energy procurement strategies for electricity and natural gas, to communication with grid operators and support for certification processes for power generation facilities. Topics such as e-mobility, electricity-based heat supply, and process heat are also being continuously developed.

For specific investment projects, the IfE takes on implementation management and supports ESN in its role as an independent owner’s engineer with technical and economic assessment, as well as coordination with planners, manufacturers, grid operators, and other project stakeholders.

Battery Storage as the Next Implementation Step

One concrete result of this development process is the battery storage system that has since been implemented, with a storage capacity of approximately 3 MWh and a power output of 1.5 MW.

The IfE supported ESN in preparing for the investment decision—from defining the technical requirements and the necessary output, through selecting a manufacturer, to conducting a structured comparison of bids and assessing the energy-economic implications of using the storage system.

The battery storage system should therefore not be viewed as an isolated measure, but rather as another building block in an energy strategy developed over several years.

Current Focus: Production Expansion and Waste Heat Utilization

ESN is currently expanding its production with an additional extension. Here, too, the energy supply is being incorporated into the planning from the very beginning. Together with the specialist planner involved, the IfE conducted an energy assessment of the requirements for the future heating and cooling systems and provided support in their design. A key approach here is to utilize the waste heat generated during refrigeration to supply heat to the site in the future, thereby further reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

At the same time, the IfE is assisting ESN in securing appropriate funding for the planned investments. This continues the path that began in 2021 with the first energy concept: identifying potential, evaluating it from technical and economic perspectives, preparing well-founded investment decisions, and then consistently supporting implementation.

The collaboration between ESN and IfE thus serves as an exemplary model of how industrial energy transformation can be developed step by step—not through isolated, individual measures, but through a long-term strategy that grows with the company’s needs and is continuously translated into concrete projects.

Author: Editorial Team, Institute for Energy Technology (IfE) GmbH