Bachelor Thesis
Social Innovation
Service Design
Application Design
Sustainability
Context
Bachelor Thesis
@Hfg Schwäbisch Gmünd
Team
Florens Schwendowius
Tobias Ertel
Time
2022/23 – 17 weeks
My contribution
Research, Concept,
Visual Design
Summary
In our bachelor's thesis, we addressed the question of how local communities can benefit from the expansion of renewable energies. For this purpose, we developed a digital platform for energy communities, with which citizens can promote regional expansion of renewable energies quickly and easily. Members of these communities can use the new.
The core concept
In Germany, many energy communities already invest in renewable energy. However, members currently cannot directly consume the electricity they generate. Energy sharing enables communities to distribute and use their locally produced green energy, a model supported by the EU’s RED II directive.
question zero
dynamic energy price
The App shows changes of the energy price in relation to the energy mix.
my energy hub
Shows personal energy production, consumption, and electricity costs.
the community area
Enables members to participate in votes, surveys, and community updates.
your year in energy
Reflection
We chose renewable energy as our starting point because of its relevance and the opportunity to explore how interaction design can make energy consumption more tangible.
What began as an open exploration quickly revealed the complexity of the energy market, a dynamic and highly regulated system.
Finding a meaningful design space took time. Through conversations with people involved in renewable energy, we gradually built an understanding of the system and its different perspectives. While the outcome may appear like an application design project, the real challenge was understanding the broader system. The work evolved into thinking about systems, community-driven change, and how interaction design can make invisible infrastructures more tangible.
A small collection of moments from throughout the project. From our office space, early research and collaborations to presenting our project at frog in munich.
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