FLEXIBLE ELEKTRISCHE NETZE FEN GMBH

Their core work

Flexible Elektrische Netze GmbH ("Flexible Electrical Networks") is a German engineering SME based in Aachen that designs and researches hybrid electrical grid architectures, with a specific focus on DC-based power systems — including low-voltage DC (LVDC) and medium-voltage DC (MVDC) — alongside AC/DC microgrid integration. Their core work addresses how modern power grids can reliably absorb high shares of renewable energy sources while maintaining resilience and security. They contribute technical depth in grid topology, DC equipment integration, and increasingly in the cybersecurity of digitally controlled grids. Aachen's proximity to RWTH Aachen and major utility research clusters positions them at the intersection of academic research and industrial grid application.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 engagement (RE-SERVE, 2016–2019), FEN GmbH worked on the challenge of maintaining grid stability as renewable penetration rises — a broad, system-level problem with no recorded specialization in specific technologies. By their second project (HYPERRIDE, 2020–2025), their focus had sharpened considerably: all recorded keywords point to DC-specific technologies (LVDC, MVDC, DC microgrids) and hybrid AC/DC systems, with cybersecurity added as a new dimension. The trajectory is from general grid-stability research toward specialized DC infrastructure engineering — a direction that mirrors the wider European push to build DC-native distributed energy systems.

FEN GmbH is moving from broad renewable integration work toward specialized DC grid infrastructure, making them an increasingly relevant partner for industrial microgrids, EV charging infrastructure, and DC-native building energy systems.

How they like to work

FEN GmbH has participated exclusively as a technical partner across both projects, contributing specialized grid expertise without taking on consortium coordination roles. Despite only two projects, they have engaged with 19 distinct partners across 9 countries, suggesting they are comfortable operating within large, geographically distributed European consortia. This pattern marks them as a focused specialist who brings depth in a narrow technical area rather than broad project management experience.

Through two projects, FEN GmbH has connected with 19 unique partners spread across 9 countries — an unusually broad network for an organization of this size, indicating active engagement in genuinely diverse European consortia rather than repeated collaboration with the same circle. No dominant geographic cluster is evident beyond their German base.

What sets them apart

FEN GmbH occupies a specific niche that few SMEs fill: the practical engineering of DC and hybrid AC/DC networks, a technology area growing fast but still underserved by specialist firms relative to its importance. Their combination of DC microgrid expertise with grid cybersecurity awareness is well-timed, as grid digitalization and distributed energy resources are creating new attack surfaces that most grid engineers are not trained to address. Their Aachen location — home to one of Europe's strongest energy engineering ecosystems — gives them access to talent and research infrastructure that larger city-based firms often lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HYPERRIDE
  Their largest and most technically specific project, directly targeting LVDC/MVDC hybrid grid integration with a resilience and reliability mandate — the clearest expression of their core competence.
• RE-SERVE
  Their first H2020 project, covering both energy and environment sectors and establishing their foundation in renewable-to-grid stability work before the DC specialization emerged.