Unlimited Potential?
Highly developed industrialized countries such as Germany require a clean, safe, and affordable power supply – the energy crisis shows this very clearly. Hydrogen might contribute to the solution, being the most abundant chemical element in the universe. It offers virtually unlimited potential as a carrier of energy. This requires, however, that renewable energy be in sufficient supply for the production of sustainable “green” hydrogen.
Well Advised – Also in Times of Crisis
In many countries, parliamentary technology assessment (TA) is a way of its own of providing politics with scientific advice. In Germany, the Office of Technology Assessment with the German Bundestag (TAB) was established more than 30 years ago. Parliamentary technology assessment focuses on the early, differentiated perception and assessment of risks and opportunities of technologies. But what, if there are real crises as it is the case now? How can TA help when abysses emerge in situations thought to be under control?
Let There Be Light!
Speechless with amazement, the old woman stands in her small house in the Andes: For the first time, a light bulb is shining! Her house stands at an altitude of over 4,789 meters in the mountains of Puno in Peru. Here in the high mountains, the nearest neighbor lives an hour's walk away. Four people live in the two small houses with rough stone walls and thatched roofs without heating and hot water. Their main source of energy is the fire, fueled with wood or dried dung. For lighting, they use candles or paraffin lamps, which they light only briefly because it is expensive. And now: A light bulb shines whose light costs almost nothing..
Climate Research in Africa
When Andreas Fink was asked by a colleague from England in 1997 whether he would like to participate in a project in Africa, he accepted immediately. At that time, the meteorologists were studying precipitation systems associated with the West African monsoon. This first stay was the starting point of 25 years of research experience in projects on the African continent gained by Andreas Fink, professor at the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
From Knowledge to Action
In some situations, humans do not act logically: We are against industrial livestock farming, but we buy cheap meat. We are eager to care for the environment and for our health and still use the car instead of the bicycle, even for short distances. We have a wealth of knowledge, but often fail in putting theory into practice – real-world labs at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) dedicate their research to this gap between knowledge and action and try to close it.
Digitalization and Sustainability
Ending the dependence on fossil fuels, conserving resources, and protecting habitats are elementary components for successfully leading modern societies onto a sustainable path and thus making them fit for the future. One approach at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is to combine the ongoing digitalization of various areas of life with concepts of sustainability.
Large-scale Research
As one of 18 research centers in the Helmholtz Association (HGF), the KIT makes valuable contributions to solving society's pressing issues of the future and to further unraveling the mysteries of the universe. As part of the HGF, KIT is an asset in large-scale research, which is not only supported by large financial resources but also advanced with the help of large research infrastructures.
Building
The construction sector is one of the big emitters of greenhouse gases. Therfore, sustainable building is of high importance in managing climate change. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), scientists from several disciplines are investigating promising solutions for the future. Work focuses not only on strategies to use resources, but also on rethinking construction planning and building processes.
Sustainable Mobility
At KIT, about 800 scientists from more than 35 institutes organized in the KIT Mobility Systems Center conduct research on what the mobility of the future might look like. In this context, many aspects have to be taken into account: from raw material recycling or synthetic fuels and electromobility to the networking of traffic.
Innovation at KIT
Together with research and teaching, innovation is one of three major tasks of KIT. KIT contributes to the success of this transfer, e.g., by promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among researchers and students. Discover various innovation activities at KIT in this online dossier: from practical inventions to contributions to the energy transition or clever solutions in the field of information technologies to spin-offs and established partnerships.
Climate Change and Sustainability
Achieving the Paris climate protection goals and the associated sustainable transformation of our society are among the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Explore in the dossier which findings climate and environmental research at KIT has gained and which contributions it can make to the protection of our livelihoods or the success of the energy transition.
Technology. Impacts. Visions
The future has always been a field of projections: for hopes, visions and utopias. The dossier "Technology. Impacts. Visions" presents various such projections, ranging from approaches to a climate-neutral energy system and mobility utopias to peace-building AI - and also takes a look in the historical rear-view mirror.
Bioeconomy
Bioeconomy is the topic of the Science Year 2020/21. But what actually is bioeconomy? Our dossier offers you a compact overview of this broad issue and explains why the future promise of bioeconomy is so important. Based on practical examples from research at KIT, you will read, see, and hear what bioeconomy is capable of.
Energy Lab 2.0
How can the energy transition succeed? What does the energy system of the future offer? These and other questions are being researched in KIT's Energy Lab 2.0. The real-world lab, which is unique in Germany, thus provides insights into the sustainable transformation of our energy system, an essential cornerstone for successfully curbing climate change.