Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST
Into the future with sustainable energy
For years, energy prices have been rising – an effect that has been exacerbated by the war of aggression in Ukraine. While energy demand and prices are increasing, fossil resources are dwindling and climate-related disasters are becoming part of our lives. Reports of forest fires, floods and heatwaves are a constant reminder: Climate protection concerns us all. In order to protect the global climate, the EU has committed itself to limiting emissions and, consequently, to converting to green energy sources. In this time of multifactorial crises, it is important for the Fraunhofer IST to develop robust and sustainable solutions.
In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and climate neutrality by 2050, the European Climate Law obliges EU member states to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, the industrial sector was responsible for 24 % of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, whilst the transport sector was responsible for 15 %¹. The automotive sector is one of Germany’s most important industries and a pioneer for sustainable development. The OEM’s decarbonization targets thereby encompass the entire life cycle – “from the cradle to the grave”. To achieve these goals, the product portfolio is being electrified and the supply chain decarbonized.
The Fraunhofer IST develops customized tools that make CO2 measurable along the entire value chain and identify the technologies with the most favorable CO2-reduction costs. Our work focuses on methods for measuring sustainability in the life cycle as well as on batteries, hydrogen, photovoltaics and technologies for the achievement of a circular economy.
¹Lee, H., Romero, J., 2023. IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Geneva, Switzerland.
”The success of a company is massively influenced by its sustainability performance.”
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Herrmann, Director of the Fraunhofer IST