Research for the Energy System of the Future

Program Description

The secure, sustainable and affordable supply of energy in the face of a growing population and increasing demand is one of the grand challenges of our society. Rising concerns about air pollution and man made climate change with not exactly predictable consequences demand innovative new technologies in the way we produce electrical power; heat or cool our buildings, and organize mobility and transport. This has to include  all aspects of generation (conversion) transport, storage  and efficient utilization of energy.

I will outline a general scenario of our future energy system for the transformation as it is currently discussed for Germany. Developing new concepts and materials for electric power generation based on renewable energy sources, coupled with efficient distribution and storage systems, are one aspect to meet this challenge. New technology for transport systems and the generation of chemical fuels without increasing the CO2 content in the atmosphere is another aspect of this challenge. For each of these fields I will discuss examples where Synchrotron Radiation and FEL-sources can make a substantial contribution to advance research and technology.