Energy, Power and Matter for a Sustainable World
Globally the energy crisis and the climate emergency are addressed by looking into the three key questions: How do we get energy that is sustainable? How much energy do we need in the first place to avoid the daring consequences of the climate change? Once we get the energy, how do we smartly store and use it?
This thematic area takes a fundamental science approach towards a more sustainable world by focusing on the key societal challenge: sustainable energy production and power consumption. We integrate knowledge and tools from a diverse range of fields.
With renewable resources gaining fundamental importance, there is a sharp current transition from the notion of energy to the notion of power. For example, we need to understand how much energy reserves are available, including a rapidly growing fraction of sustainable energy sources and how much power = energy per time unit can be produced and, therefore, used in real time. Dealing with this transition is fundamental for the development of all aspects of our society.
This challenge requires the integration of knowledge and tools from a diverse range of fields from physical and biological/chemical sciences (e.g., energy resources) to mathematics, computer science and economics (e.g., modelling and forecasting production and consumption) to social sciences (e.g., understanding how energy, power and matter are perceived and employed in different societies) to educational sciences (e.g., understanding how the fundamental knowledge about energy and power efficiency can be disseminated and taught).
