Focal Topic
Energy Transition
There is no alternative to the expansion of renewable energies .
With the gradual conversion from nuclear and fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, not only the ecological footprint and the requirements for new technologies and infrastructures are changing, but also employment and economic structures. The extensive decarbonisation of the economy along with the electrification of the individual sectors suggests, that the replacement of conventional energy sources such as oil, coal and gas will lead to a disproportionate increase in the demand for renewable energies.
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The previous expansion goals and speeds are far from meeting the forecast energy requirements for the next few years and decades. The potential demand for green hydrogen in 2050 alone requires an amount of energy per year for production in the order of magnitude of the total amount of energy produced from renewables today. The spaces required for the expansion of renewable energies come up against the limits of densely populated regions. The import of energy into these regions will therefore have to take place in the future and intensify.
Growing pressure to act promotes decentralized structures
The advancing climate change and the increased environmental awareness among the population in recent years have increased the pressure on the economy and politics to act. By setting ambitious climate targets to achieve net zero by 2050 at the latest, politics has passed this pressure on to industry in recent years and is consistently pursuing it, for example, through the instrument of CO2 pricing.
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This step-by-step path to a net zero economy combines regional and industrial policy goals with the restructuring of the energy supply. While the transport of energy, e.g. in the form of oil, coal and gas, can be made relatively easy and safe even over long distances, the production, storage and transport of renewable energy depends on geographical factors and the availability of alternative energy carriers (such as hydrogen, ammonia). The electrification of the individual sectors thus often leads to decentralized and interconnected energy clusters, where production and demand are close together.
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These changed structures and framework conditions also have an impact on, for example, the choice of location for energy-intensive industries and geopolitical considerations for establishing security of supply. In individual cases, regions in which there is enough space, as well as sun and wind, can be self-sufficient. In the overall view, however, new supply and demand clusters will form and the previous market structures will be reorganized.
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Sustainable energy transition requires smart combination of technologies
The widespread use of energy carriers such as hydrogen or ammonia in industry, mobility and in the heat and energy sector is leading to a profound transformation that changes existing market structures and makes new technologies necessary. Industrial processes have to be redesigned, and users have to rethink their established routines to a large extent. The individual acceptance plays a major role in the chances of success of a corresponding technology.
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An example of this is the switch to electromobility and its discussion curve, which is often emotional and based on particular interests, in which different technologies are placed in competition with one another. The discussions between purely battery-powered e-mobility (BEV) and, for example, hydrogen-based e-mobility (FCEV) dilute the view of the need for a quick transition of the overall system in terms of the climate goals to be achieved. Because neither BEV nor FCEV solutions alone can cover all individual applications and user needs. The interaction of these technologies, especially in the transition phase, is therefore essential for the rapid achievement of the climate targets. User acceptance is a basic requirement for the economic viability of the respective technology and, last but not least, net zero in its entirety.
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EMP AG - Moderator and Pioneer
In the past few years, the founders of EMP AG have dealt intensively with the transport and storage of energy carriers, both strategically and operationally. In particular with their demand structures, use cases and influencing factors.
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We have shaped the electrification of industry and especially mobility as an expert in strategic and political discussions, in the creation and evaluation of innovative business models, in the establishment of global networks and partnerships, in the acquisition of financing and fundings as well as in the planning and implementation of pilot and acceptance-increasing projects as well as market-ready solutions.
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The experiences and insights gained from this and the understanding of the holistic form our Plus+ for your individual strategy and implementation planning.