And that’s not all – if things just continue as they have been, we will also jeopardize the security of supply for households and industrial companies. And we accept skyrocketing energy prices. We must not continue like this.
Instead, we need disruptive innovations to create the energy transition. And that means: We have to think openly to technology, because only a clever combination of many different solutions will lead to the goal.
In other words, we must bet on the race, not the horse! In any case, the change will not succeed with the currently very limited toolbox – essentially wind and sun plus storage.
A few figures show how serious the problem is: Last year, primary energy consumption in Germany was around twelve exajoules – that’s how much 480,000 wind turbines on land deliver under optimal conditions (today there are around 30,000 of them).
It was therefore covered primarily with the help of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. Renewable energies only contributed 17 percent to this.
That is significantly less than a fifth. The complete conversion of the electricity, mobility and heating sectors to non-fossil sources is therefore a long way off.
Germany is far from a fossil-free energy supply
Even in the electricity sector – the flagship of the energy transition – the situation is anything but rosy: In the first six months of 2020, the share of renewable energies was still almost 52 percent. At that time, wind power was the most important source of energy.
However, due to the lack of wind in spring, coal once again took the lead as an energy source in the first half of 2021. Overall, due to the weather, renewables only accounted for 44 percent.
When it comes to electricity, too, we in Germany are still a long way from a purely renewable supply. The problem is exacerbated by the growing demand for electrical energy – because the decarbonization of industry, the expansion of electromobility and the installation of electric heat pumps in millions of buildings will significantly increase the amount of electricity required in Germany in the coming decades.
An example shows the magnitude of the challenge: According to a forecast by the German Chemical Industry Association, we will need around 300 gigawatts of installed capacity from 2030 just for the decarbonization of German chemical companies: Today, however, only 132 gigawatts are available throughout Germany, with the increase in 2020 at just 6.7 gigawatts.
It is therefore completely unrealistic to convert an entire industry to renewable energies in just ten years.
Even these few figures show that we will not be able to manage the energy transition with the currently available amounts of renewable energy – especially not if we want to guarantee grid stability and thus security of supply.
>> Read here: Sun on earth: How start-ups want to generate energy with super lasers
In any case, it remains true that we can only stop climate change if we drastically transform the energy market – towards the most cost-effective, climate-neutral energy sources possible. Investments in wind turbines and the like are a good first step.
But beyond that, we urgently need another building block to ensure a reliable supply of green energy in the future. This energy source should be able to cover the base load and guarantee a CO2 and waste-free energy supply.
Laser-assisted fusion technology is a promising approach
And of course it should be located in Germany – in close proximity to private and industrial consumers. That would make them competitive and create many secure jobs in this country.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of promising candidates. One of them is laser-based fusion technology, such as that being pursued by the company Marvel Fusion.
The idea behind this is to create a kind of artificial sun on earth: The sun has been shining for billions of years because hydrogen nuclei fuse into helium nuclei inside it, releasing a lot of energy in the process.
Researchers are trying to reproduce what is triggered in the sun by gravity using technology on Earth.
Commercial use is finally within reach after the recent breakthrough at the US National Ignition Facility. If we manage to harness the sun’s energy source on earth, we can produce virtually unlimited electricity – without emissions, safety risks and radioactive waste.
In addition to state institutions, several start-ups are now showing that fusion is a realistic option and not just an eternal promise.
In addition to the basic supply of electricity, fusion reactors are also ideal for producing sustainable hydrogen through electrolysis in Germany. As an energy carrier and raw material, gas plays a key role in all considerations regarding our future energy policy.
According to the current status of the discussion, however, we would have to import a large part of it from regions as far away as Africa or South America – which would be expensive and would make us unnecessarily dependent on imports. A commercial fusion reactor could probably be available in as little as ten years.
In order to achieve this, we now have to promote this innovative technology intensively – as is done, for example, in Great Britain: The government there has publicly declared fusion as a key technology for its own future and has already presented a first draft law for the regulation of the new energy source.
Politicians must allow more openness to technology
A cluster for fusion research is also currently being built near Oxford. Already lured from Canada, General Fusion, a private mergers company backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, is now relocating to the UK.
“Fusion could be the ultimate clean energy solution – a low-carbon, safe, continuous and sustainable source of energy,” says Research Secretary George Freeman.
But the USA also wants to promote the new energy source: as part of the new infrastructure law by US President Joe Biden, 885 million dollars will flow into research and development of fusion technologies over the next five years.
Germany is in danger of falling behind on this important issue – once again. The innovations are there, also in this country.
That is why it is now time for politicians to allow more openness to technology when investing in the energy transition and also to include new ideas such as fusion. It should act as a promoter and anchor customer of breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations. Brave and curious.
Wisely used tax money would be well invested, because investments in new energy technologies promise brilliant dividends.
Anyone who succeeds in this area can look forward to a gigantic economic boom: Zero-emission innovations will produce more billionaires in the next two decades than during the Internet boom – and create many new promising jobs.
Germany is in the best position to be at the forefront here. However, engineers and founders need the right framework for this. Then they can take off with unleashed creativity.
Bold politics combined with breakthrough technologies and disruptive innovations: these are the ingredients for a successful energy transition!
The author: Heinz Dürr is Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Dürr AG.
More: Siemens Energy, Trumpf and Thales: Fusion start-up Marvel Fusion is getting reinforcements