The panel discussion
The question of whether our energy supply is secure at present, and especially in view of a post-fossil age, is on everyone's mind. The current energy crisis, triggered by the dramatic tensions with Russia as a result of the Ukraine war, only reinforces the already growing concern of people from all sectors of our society about the security of energy supply and about the costs of fossil energy. Energy security will be the topic of winter 2022. How secure is our energy supply - currently and in the coming months, but especially after an energy transition the urgency of which has been impressively underlined by another heatwave summer?
Energy is not abstract, this is clear more than ever. It is integrated into material and geographical networks. But which materials do we need for our everyday life, our industry, our prosperity? How are these resources distributed in the world? At what - often hidden - geopolitical and ecological costs do we currently live? And how will and do we want to live in the future?
Chemistry is doubly in focus here. As a major consumer of numerous and currently often problematic resources, but also as a long-tested means of breaking free from dependencies through innovation.
Catalysis research has a key role here - both for post-fossil energy systems and for all other global material cycles. What approaches is UniSysCat pursuing on this topic?
In short keynote speeches, the speakers will give insight into the current situation, their vision of the future and concrete research questions on the topic. This will be followed by a panel discussion open to questions and suggestions from the audience.
The speakers
Dr. Benjamin Steininger
is a cultural and media theorist, historian of science and technology, and curator. He is active in UniSysCat as well as at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. His research focuses on the history and theory of industrial catalysis, the history and theory of fossil resources, and a critique of fossil reason.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Drieß
is Professor of Organometallic Chemistry and Inorganic Materials at the TU Berlin. He not only studied chemistry, but also philosophy - which is reflected in his holistic view of (chemical) science. He is enthusiastically committed to research and teaching on the topic of "Green Chemistry" at TU Berlin. From 2007 to 2018, Matthias Drieß was spokesperson for the UniCat Cluster of Excellence. Since 2019, he has been co-spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence UniSysCat.
Prof. Dr. Anke Weidlich
is Professor for Energy Distribution Technologies at the Institute for Sustainable Technical Systems (INATECH) at the University of Freiburg. Here she researches holistic solutions for a sustainable energy supply. As part of the "Energy Systems of the Future" initiative, she is involved in the working groups "Integrated Energy Supply" and "Energy Prices and Security of Supply".
Moderator: Dr. Jochen Müller
is a science journalist. He works as a freelance curator at the Urania Berlin and is also a science slammer, moderator, gives workshops and is a project partner for science exhibitions.
Tickets & Co.
This event is part of this year's Berlin Science Week: https://berlinscienceweek.com/event/energiesicherheit-im-postfossilen-zeitalter/
Tickets for the in-person event can be reserved directly via the Urania Berlin website: https://www.urania.de/energiesicherheit-im-postfossilen-zeitalter