Venture Clienting with MTU Aero Engines - Shape the Future of Energy and Aviation

What is MTU Aero Engines looking for?

To meet the growing demand for flexible, low-emission energy generation in Europe, MTU Aero Engines is developing hydrogen-ready gas turbines that can enter the grid within 5–8 minutes. However, grid operators increasingly require instantaneous power availability, with upcoming regulation (such as Germany’s Kraftwerkssicherheitsgesetz) favoring plants that can deliver energy in under 5 minutes to stabilize the grid during fluctuations caused by renewable sources like wind and solar.

To overcome this gap between grid demand and turbine startup time, MTU is seeking a high-performance battery system that can instantly inject power into the grid, bridging the turbine’s startup phase.

The challenge lies not only in delivering the right battery technology but in integrating it into a modular, containerized, certifiable, and grid-ready system—optionally paired with intelligent control software. This is a mission-critical system integration problem with real commercial urgency: the system must be deployable by 2027 to meet regulatory and market-driven tender timelines.

Core Question

How can we design and deliver a modular, scalable battery system that can instantly provide grid energy for 5–8 minutes, seamlessly integrate with aeroderivative gas turbines, and be certifiable for long-term grid operation in Europe?

Goals & Criteria

Solutions should aim to:

• Instantly provide high-power discharge for a duration of 5–8 minutes to bridge the startup phase of hydrogen-ready gas turbines.
• Be highly cycle-stable, enabling frequent charge/discharge cycles with minimal degradation.
• Be delivered as a modular, containerized system – ideally plug-and-play deployable.
• Allow for scalability across different turbine sizes and output classes, starting at appr. 10 MW
• Support integration with existing MTU turbine control units, including legacy and newer versions.

 Optionally include a control software layer that:

• Automates switching between battery and turbine
• Interfaces with grid operations and existing turbine logic
• Is designed for future certification under EU grid codes (e.g., BDEW, VDE, ENTSO-E standards)

Non-technical goals:

• Be mature enough for PoC development by early 2026 (functional prototype or tested sub-system)
• Be developed or scalable within Europe
• Demonstrate a clear path toward industrialization and certification before end of 2027
• Include realistic cost estimates and production scalability (CAPEX, OPEX, system availability)

What Should Your Application Communicate?

You don’t need a fully market-ready product. Your submission should clearly demonstrate the value and maturity of your approach, including:

• What parts of your solution are already developed (e.g., working modules, UI mockups, pilots)
• What parts still require co-development and how collaboration with MTU Aero Engines would help
• Key technical requirements or dependencies
• A potential pilot scenario: scope, timeline, KPIs, and estimated resources required
• The long-term value proposition: e.g., co-development, licensing, portal integration

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for innovative partners who:

• Are open to co-developing and adapting their solution according to MTU Aero Engines’ needs
• Provide realistic and transparent expectations for piloting and scaling

Knowledge Base

To support the development of a suitable solution, MTU Aero Engines provides the following technical context and information about the target gas turbine system:

Turbine Model: MTU LM6000

• The LM6000 is an aeroderivative gas turbine based on aviation technology, designed for fast-start stationary applications.
• Output Power: ~45 MW (ISO conditions), typically deployed in the 20–25 MW range per use case.
• Start-up Time: 5–8 minutes (cold start to full grid feed-in)
• Fuel Flexibility: Designed for natural gas, but H₂-readiness is being developed for green hydrogen operation.
• Application: Used in peaker plants to stabilize the grid during renewable energy fluctuations, for peaking applications typical up to 10 units combined (total power output typical up to 500 MW).

Test Environment

• MTU will provide access to: Key technical data (on request) Control interface documentation Optional: testing infrastructure (on MTU test stand or customer site)
• A combined battery + GT test scenario is planned in the PoC phase (2025–2026).

Important Documents

Concept: Hybrid Gas Turbine