Sector Coupling in Action: A Visit to August Weckermann in Eisenbach

Sector Coupling in Action: A Visit to August Weckermann in Eisenbach

What happens when a medium-sized production company consistently couples all four energy sectors? This question led me to the Black Forest on March 19, 2026, to August Weckermann KG in Eisenbach. What I saw there is a reference project for what we describe at REVOLUTION E as the target vision: Electricity, heating, process heat, and mobility as an integrated system.

I did not plan or implement this project — but that is precisely what makes this visit so valuable. It demonstrates that the concepts we pursue with our QuickCheck and sector coupling approach work in practice. Not in a laboratory, but in an operating production facility.

A Family Business with an Inventor's DNA

August Weckermann KG is not a typical energy pioneer. Since 1885 — now in its fifth generation under David Dudlinger — the company has been producing diamond-finished surfaces for premium customers such as Hansgrohe, Grohe, Dornbracht, Montblanc, and Burmester. 151 employees, over 30 million euros in revenue, approximately 4,000 tons of material throughput per year. A classic Black Forest SME with deep vertical integration and a clear mission: Aesthetics, precision, and an inventive spirit.

It was precisely this inventive spirit that led the company, when constructing a new building at the sunnier mountain location, not only to build a new production hall but also to implement an integrated energy and thermal concept that is unparalleled.

All 4 Sectors in One System

The AWVision23 project is remarkable because it connects exactly the four sectors that our QuickCheck also analyzes:

The plant's demand is around 2 million kWh per year — the system produces more than the plant consumes, achieving a self-sufficiency rate of up to 90%.

Hydrogen as Seasonal Storage

The core of the concept is hydrogen technology. The 300 kW electrolyzer splits water into hydrogen and oxygen — using treated rainwater. A 100 m³ cistern collects precipitation, which is then purified into ultrapure water. Weckermann claims a pioneering role here: rainwater as a source for green hydrogen.

The four storage tanks hold approximately 1,400 kg of hydrogen. In winter, when PV yields decrease, the 80 kW fuel cell converts the stored hydrogen back into electricity and heat. The system even allows for multi-day blackout operation — true resilience for a production site.

Thermal Circular Thinking: Process Heat as the Key

The thermal concept is particularly impressive — and this is exactly where the fourth sector, process heat, becomes tangible. The 200 m³ fire water basin simultaneously serves as thermal storage: it cools in summer and buffers heat in winter. Waste heat from machines, compressed air, power electronics, and the fuel cell is fed into separate heating circuits via a pipe network. A heat pump raises the temperature level if required. The principle: Every electrical kilowatt should have a dual effect.

For manufacturing companies, process heat is often the largest cost block — and simultaneously the most overlooked sector in electrification. Weckermann demonstrates that this sector can be seamlessly integrated into an overall system.

Control Between Self-Sufficiency and Revenue Optimization

The system offers control flexibility: Depending on production load, storage levels, market prices, and weather forecasts, it can switch between maximizing self-sufficiency (up to 90%) and optimizing revenue (approx. 75% self-sufficiency with peak feed-in). Strategies such as arbitrage, utilization of negative electricity prices, and grid-serving feed-in are planned. In one to two years, AI-supported overall system control is expected to take over management.

This exact control logic — which measure delivers which leverage, how do the sectors interact — is also what our QuickCheck maps out. Naturally at a different level of detail, but the principle is identical: Quantify sector coupling before you invest.

What This Visit Means for REVOLUTION E

I did not implement this project — but I visited it with the eyes of a practitioner who has been accompanying energy projects for 30 years. My conclusion:

Energy self-sufficiency in SMEs is not a utopia, but an investment decision. 8 million euros is no small sum, but the amortization period, depending on the scenario, is 9 to 20 years — and the soft factors weigh heavily: predictable energy costs, a strong CO₂ balance, employer attractiveness in rural areas, and resilience against grid failures.

The project organization was crucial: a key person was released for three years, external expertise was involved early, and the personal commitment of leadership was openly addressed. This is not a side project — it is a strategic business decision.

"This project demonstrates how engineering services provide concrete answers to the current challenges of energy supply. The combination of photovoltaics, battery storage, and hydrogen technology enables medium-sized companies to achieve a stable and sustainable energy supply." — Julian Schnitzius, Bernard Gruppe

Projects like AWVision23 confirm our conviction at REVOLUTION E: The future of energy supply lies in integrated, sector-coupled systems. If you want to know where the potential lies at your own site, you can find out in just a few minutes with our All-Electric QuickCheck — across all four sectors: electricity, heating, process heat, and mobility.

Frank Hummel visited August Weckermann KG on March 19, 2026, as part of a technical excursion. The HSG HUMMEL Service Group advises companies on the planning and implementation of integrated energy solutions across all four sectors.