“Germany mustn’t lose sight of its ambitious goals”
Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech is the scientific director of the HZB and currently the vice-president for the research area energy in the Helmholtz Association. © David Ausserhofer / HZB
The Science Year 2025 is dedicated to the topic of ‘Future Energy’ and the Helmholtz Association is conducting cutting-edge research in this field. An interview with Bernd Rech, Vice-President Energy of the Helmholtz Association and Scientific Director at HZB, on topics such as: Where does Germany stand with the restructuring of its energy system? What contribution can research make? And what about hydrogen, nuclear energy and nuclear fusion, and the new challenges for a secure supply in times of cyber attacks?
Where does Germany stand in terms of restructuring its energy system?
In Germany, we are making great strides in transforming our energy system. For example, 60 percent of our electricity now comes from renewable sources, compared to less than five percent in 1990. Thanks to new technologies, we’re working much more efficiently than just a few decades ago. This is another reason why CO2 emissions in Germany have been significantly reduced. Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions have essentially been cut in half since 1990. Economic growth has been decoupled from energy consumption. However, there is still a great deal of work to be done, because climate change persists and three quarters of all global CO2 emissions are connected to energy demand. In Germany, renewables now account for 20 percent of our total primary energy consumption. So, there’s still a lot to be done – especially in the areas of transport, industry and heating.
Please read the full interview on the webpage of Helmholtz Association:
https://www.helmholtz.de/en/newsroom/article/germany-mustnt-lose-sight-of-its-ambitious-goals/
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