The technical and economic progress of the past 150 years is based on the use of fossil fuels. These energy sources are only available in limited quantities, so it is foreseeable that the resources will be exhausted or their use will no longer be economically and ecologically justifiable. In addition, forecasts predict dramatic climate change, which will be initiated by emissions of climate-changing substances such as CO2, unless countermeasures are taken quickly. Therefore, it is of elementary importance for society to convert the energy supply in the future to sustainable, i.e. long-term available and low-emission energy resources. The goal has been formulated to have achieved essential steps of this transformation process by 2050. Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH) has a long history in the field of energy research, especially in power plant technology, electrical energy technology and support structures for wind turbines. This expertise has been specifically strengthened in recent years through new appointments. LUH has set itself the goal of supporting the transformation of the energy system to sustainable energy sources with its research expertise. To this end, the Leibniz Research Center Energy 2050 (LiFE) was founded at the end of 2013 to bundle the research activities of its members in research lines, to build an interdisciplinary network, and to be a competence partner for society and industry. It is supported as a Leibniz Research Center by the Presidium of the University. More information on interdisciplinary, university-internal research networks can be found here.
The tasks of LiFE 2050 are to explore new ways
- to make energy available for use more efficiently and sustainably, especially wind energy, solar energy, water energy, bioenergy and geothermal energy,
- to transport and store energy, in particular using biological, chemical, mechanical and thermal processes, and
- to make consumption more efficient, in particular energy conversion, energy use and building efficiency.
In this context, socio-political and economic framework conditions must be developed in order to make the transformation process compatible.
