May 29 2023 24 mins
In our latest Energy Transition Talks podcast, Andrea Grad of CGI’s Unicorn Academy speaks with energy transition experts Karl Schmalz and Martin Tauer. Looking at Europe, and within Germany in particular, they discuss net-zero targets, reporting challenges and the role of innovation and data in accelerating progress.
Approaches vary by region and infrastructure
While the global target for net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is 2050, some countries have more ambitious goals. For example, Germany’s target is 2045, and some of its regions and cities have even earlier dates.
Sustainable energy is already a hot topic. However, not all regions or organizations are equipped with the same tools or environment to transition as quickly or seamlessly as others. As Martin shares, this contributes to varying targets, approaches, and success factors.
The City of Bremen, for example, aims to achieve net-zero by 2038, 7 years earlier than the German national goal. Bremen benefits from climate-relevant infrastructure such as seaports, logistics, handling, and cruise terminals. As a leading industrial hub, the City’s focus for the energy transition is on their prominent metal industry.
Specifically, they plan to produce green steel by incorporating hydrogen into the production process. As Martin explains, “This is a very urgent topic and a very high priority project, because the failure in this one goal would completely compromise the ambitions for the City’s climate neutrality by 2038.”
Karl agrees that green hydrogen, in particular, is increasingly vital to achieving net-zero. However, the approach and policy are integral to a successful transition. Something he sees working well in the “active” transition in Germany is the integration and adaptation of photovoltaic production. “I personally see it as a good way to stabilize the grid with large numbers of installations in private households, whereas the wind energy will serve to stabilize the larger consumers in the industry,” he comments.
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