The 10th Lower Saxony Energy Days (NET), organised by the Energie-Forschungszentrum Niedersachsen (EFZN), took place on 7 and 8 November 2017. Under the title “Think Big! Visionary sector coupling” . Under the patronage of Lower Saxony’s Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection Stefan Wenzel, around 200 participants from science, business, politics and society discussed technologies, challenges and opportunities for an effective and sustainable energy transformation in Lower Saxony.
A central result of the event was that the further expansion of renewable energies and the sector coupling are crucial instruments for the success of the energy transition. “Without a significant increase in the pace of further expansion of renewables and, in particular, solar energy in Lower Saxony, the targets of a decarbonised energy supply aimed for by the state for the year 2050 cannot be achieved,” said Dr. Raphael Niepelt from ISFH in his presentation on the role of solar energy in the future energy system. By couplingthe various sectors of use (electricity, heat, mobility), the largely CO2-free electricity from wind power and photovoltaic systems can then be used to gradually replace not only electricity from fossil-fuelled power plants, but also heating oil, petrol and diesel.
Based on the results of the event, a catalogue of demands will be compiled and handed over to the future government of Lower Saxony. A detailed report on the conference and the slides of the presentations can be found on the EFZN homepage.