New report: Energy futures

I am pleased to finally announce today that our study “Energy Futures” has been published.

The current energy price crisis threatens to strangle large parts of the European economy. It is the result of a policy that made Germany unilaterally dependent on one main energy supplier on the one hand, and introduced measures to shut down conventional power generation before a new system of renewable energies could compensate for the shortfalls in base load supply on the other. The debates about who was to blame or complicit in these decisions and when are of little use to our work at this point. 

For the future, however, it is important not to repeat these mistakes in a different form. We need to move away from dependencies and establish an energy system whose components interlock. If we blindly invest in individual technologies today out of a knee-jerk reaction, it may well be that in a few years or decades we will face problems similar to those we face today. This report is a study of the future that shows how things may be in the future. Its time horizon deliberately extends to the year 2050 and in places even beyond.

In the report, futurist Jan Berger and entrepreneur and honorary professor Prof. Lothar Abicht describe the fundamental transformation of the energy system and the economy in the light of the fifth industrial revolution. They impressively explain the extraordinary potential that lies in green power and convincingly demonstrate how existing technologies and innovations will shape energy futures if the right course is set today.

With its depth of perspective, the report is aimed primarily at decision-makers in companies, politics and society. The report takes a well-founded look at photovoltaics, wind and nuclear power, bioenergy and hydrogen from all sides. Readers gain insights into which developments will dominate in the future and which assumptions many are wrong about today. They can use this knowledge to make decisions today.