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11.04.2008
21 to 25 April - Technical innovation is the way out of the climate impasse HANNOVER MESSE 2008,
* WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE on the construction of new power plants and grids designed to protect the climate * According to industry statistics, over 25 per cent of the planet's CO2 emissions could be avoided by the introduction of technical innovations in the energy sector; in Germany alone 40,000 megawatts of fossil and nuclear generating capacity needs to be replaced, and 55,000 megawatts of fluctuating output from wind and solar plants needs to be integrated Hannover. Technical innovations are a crucial weapon in the fight against climate change. And yet technology by itself is not enough to get the job done. It also takes political action to create the right conditions - and a general raising of public awareness. At the WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE, the annual energy summit at HANNOVER MESSE, senior international figures from government, the energy industry and the manufacturing sector will be facing up to the serious challenges involved. Global technology concern Siemens views the current situation as an opportunity. "Despite the enormous challenges that lie ahead, we look forward to the future with confidence. Many of the technologies for securing tomorrow's energy supplies are already available. It is a matter of putting them systematically to work while at the same time pressing ahead with the development of new low-carbon technologies", says Wolfgang Dehen, CEO of Siemens Energy Sector. The world economy is growing, and with it the demand for services that depend on energy, such as heating and cooling systems, mobility or communication technologies. Without a proper efficiency strategy mankind's energy needs could double by the year 2030. Wolfgang Dehen comments: "The urgent question is, how can we keep up with rising energy demand while at the same time protecting the climate? Our answer is very clear. We need to meet the growing demand for energy by building high-efficiency fossil-fuel power stations on the one hand, and systematically developing renewable sources of energy on the other. We also need to upgrade the electricity supply grid, transforming it into an efficient, reliable and above all sustainable energy system." Stephan Kohler, executive secretary of the German Energy Agency (dena) and chairman of the WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE, is calling for a more level-headed approach to the whole debate about energy and climate change. The doomsday scenario of an impending shortfall in energy supply misses the point, according to Kohler: "The fact is that too few innovative power plants are being built in Germany at present to meet the future demand for energy efficiently and with minimal impact on the climate. It follows from this that existing inefficient coal power stations, with much higher CO2 emissions, will have to keep going for longer while electricity prices rise sharply. Which is bad news for the climate and bad news for the consumer." Germany plans to cut its CO2 emissions by 40 per cent by the year 2020. According to dena, approximately 40,000 megawatts of fossil and nuclear generating capacity has to be replaced, and 55,000 megawatts of fluctuating output from wind and solar plants has to be integrated. This will not be possible without highly efficient power stations. While the industrialized nations are restructuring their power supply networks on a high level, countries such as China and India are intent on building up their power generating capacity as quickly as possible and on a very large scale. This opens up massive opportunities worldwide for manufacturers of innovative power plant technologies. Michael Feist, president of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), notes with concern the widespread resistance to new power station projects. "Protests are currently being directed indiscriminately against coal power stations, hydroelectric plants, wind turbines and the construction of power lines. But where are our future electricity supplies going to come from, if people are increasingly objecting to the building of new generating capacity here in Germany?" asks Feist. According to technical standards agency TÜV NORD, key advances in conventional power generation such as high-temperature 700°C generating plants and CCS technologies are still at the development stage. Among the technical challenges to be resolved are the behaviour of materials at very high temperatures, quality assurance when component manufacturing is globally dispersed, and the monitoring of plant operation throughout the service life of the installation. In decentralized power generation the focus is on combined heat and power plants for industrial use, as well as fuel cells. Power from renewables at present comes principally from biomass power plants and wind farms at present. Meanwhile solar thermal power stations are also becoming increasingly important. The urgent need to move ahead with technological innovation is underlined by the latest report from the United Nations Development Program. The UNDP calls upon the industrial nations to play a leading role in climate protection, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent between now and 2050. The technologies to achieve this already exist. According to Siemens, ten of the technologies that form part of the Siemens portfolio have the potential to bring about a combined reduction of ten gigatonnes of CO2 per year by the year 2050. This represents nearly a quarter of the world's entire CO2 emissions. The WORLD ENERGY DIALOGUE takes place on 22 and 23 April at the Hannover Exhibition Grounds (Hall 27).
- Katja Havemeister-
Author: maggy (admin2)
Last modified: Friday, 11.04.2008 - 11:56 More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
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