Germany aims to be climate-neutral by 2045. To achieve this goal, both the energy and mobility sectors must undergo fundamental transformation. Experts from the fields of transport, energy, and technology discussed the factors that need to be considered at the Mobility and Green Energy Symposium last Monday.
The event was organized by Digital Hub Mobility, which, as part of the Digital Hub Initiative initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, brings together established companies in the energy and mobility sectors with innovation partners from the start-up scene and science. Bernhard Kalkbrenner, Deputy Head of Digital Hub Mobility, explained:
“We see ourselves as an innovation driver for sustainable mobility in Germany and want to accelerate the transition to more sustainable mobility.”
Greater flexibility in the energy system
In the first part of the event, the panelists addressed the challenges posed to grid capacity by fluctuating power generation from renewable energy sources and new consumers such as electric vehicles and heat pumps. It became clear that grid overload can only be avoided with flexible solutions. It is important to activate the potential of home storage systems and electric vehicles, which can also act as energy storage and generators, early on and utilize this potential for the energy market. The experts believe that creating appropriate incentive and automated control systems for this could be a profitable area for startups.
According to the second panel, the development of a charging infrastructure for an electrified transport sector also offers considerable scope for innovative solutions – both in the area of vehicles and in terms of charging options and grid connections. The technical challenges are all solvable, but
“In order to implement the regulatory objective, the market must take off from 2025 onwards,”
so Johanna Beer, Head of Strategy E-Mobility at Siemens. For this to happen, and for young companies in particular to be able to literally bring their innovations onto the road, a significant reduction in bureaucracy is necessary—as is so often the case, Beer emphasized:
“We need the courage to do it.”
Digitally connecting producers and consumers
Digitalization, which was the topic of the event's third panel, also plays a major role in implementing the energy transition. Intelligent energy management systems that connect all hardware and software components and whose algorithms optimize consumption could be a real game changer. The experts also noted that what is often lacking is not so much the individual technical solutions but rather the interfaces between the individual systems of providers, producers, and consumers. Startups could also fill these gaps. Even more important, however, is explaining the paradigm shift in the energy industry to consumers in a way that is understandable. This is the only way to truly bring meaningful changes to the masses. Sophia Roediger, CMO for the DACH region at 1Komma5Grad, summed it up like this:
"We speak too often on a meta-level. We help end customers the most when we really make it concrete: What can I do at home? And we have to give that a positive spin."
What all participants agreed on: For the energy transition to succeed, the transport, energy and technology sectors must pull together and integrate innovative, digital solutions.
At the end of the symposium, several startups presented their pitches, highlighting some concrete practical applications. From the Munich ecosystem, Arthur Bus Its team has developed an emission-free hydrogen bus that stands out from similar vehicles due to its low fuel consumption and cost-effectiveness.
