A German project to demonstrate the transition to a low carbon energy system has begun.

The ‘Designetz’ consortium aims to develop a blueprint for an environmentally friendly, secure and affordable energy supply and demonstrate the benefits of such a system to the rest of the country.

Led by energy firm innogy, the 46 project partners aim to address and implement the main requirements of a green transition, such as the smart connection of energy producers in rural areas to urban consumers and the creation of innovative storage systems needed to support renewables.

They are being implemented in three federal states – North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. A total of 22 million people live in the areas.

The project aims to “translate the political vision of a transformed energy landscape into practical reality”.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy is contributing €30 million (£25.7m) to the project, worth €66 million (£56.4m) in total.

Peter Terium, Chief Executive Officer of innogy, said: “With ‘Designetz’ we want to demonstrate the characteristics of energy transition – smart, innovative, secure, close to the people and cost-effective. We want to create an example for successful energy transition in Germany and beyond, in line with international climate protection.”