Scientific analyses of industrial transformation
Client:
Duration: January 2025- July 2026
Background
The industrial sector is of key relevance for achieving the climate protection targets in Europe and Germany. For the year 2023 and Germany, 155 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions can be attributed to the industrial sector in accordance with the Climate Protection Act. However, industry is also a decisive factor in creating and maintaining prosperity, and therefore also the stability and social peace of our society. For the German economy, value creation in industry is of particular importance – also in a European comparison. This project encompasses a wide range of scientific analyses, the central focus of which is industrial transformation against the backdrop of climate protection and safeguarding prosperity. The focus is on the decarbonisation of industry, in particular the emission-intensive basic industries.
Goals and Results
The transformation of the industry is also complex in terms of technological options and paths. Some of these technical paths are complementary to each other, while others are in competition with each other. Central transformation pathways are the use of direct electrification of industrial processes, especially for the provision of process heat, the use of hydrogen for material utilisation and, if not directly electrically solvable, for the provision of high-temperature process heat. A further path concerns – where necessary – carbon management, i.e. the capture and subsequent storage (CCS) and utilisation of CO2 (CCU). In addition, there are topics that cross these paths, such as a further increase in final energy and useful energy efficiency, the introduction of a circular economy in the broad sense (cradle-to-cradle, design-for-recycling, etc.), as well as flexible production with a view to sector coupling, especially with the electricity market. The aim of the project is to analyse all of these aspects in their entirety, both individually and by establishing cross-references.
