Dr. Elke Wanke

Dr. Elke Wanke is a doctor of engineering in the field of mechanical engineering. After completing her work at the Technische Universität München as part of her doctorate on the subject of thermoacoustics, she initially worked as an acoustic expert for power plants, industrial and commercial systems. She then moved to Thüga Aktiengesellschaft, Munich/ Germany, the core of a network of around 100 energy and water supply companies in Germany. There she advised municipal utilities and network operators in the areas of bioenergy, heat technology, network strategy, innovations and finally digitalization. From 2014-2018 she was also project manager of the Thüga Group's Power to Gas Project. For the first time in Germany, a PEM electrolyzer was operated in real practice also feeding hydrogen into a local gas distribution network for the first time. Since summer 2022, Dr. Wanke initially worked as a consultant, now as head of renewable gases at Energienetze Bayern GmbH & Co. KG and works intensively on the decarbonization of the gas distribution networks. As hydrogen representative of the Energie Südbayern Group, she is also the project manager of H2Direkt. This is the first time in Germany that it has been fully demonstrated in practice, that the existing pipeline infrastructure at the level of the gas distribution network as well as the gas infrastructure of private and commercial customers can continue to be operated with 100% hydrogen and can be used safely and in a sustainable manner.