Conference: Energy – Efficiency in Application and Transformation
The Steinbeis Technology Group has joined forces with the energy company Shell and the F.A.Z Institute, innovation projects for this year’s conference, Energy – Efficiency in Application and Transformation. Held on 1 April 2009 at Stuttgart’s Haus der Wirtschaft, this conference was part of the Applied Technology series. High-profile speakers from industry and academia addressed energy supply as well as a variety of other issues touching on energy efficiency and conservation of resources.
Energy: without it, industrial production wouldn’t exist. A commercially viable, stable and sustainable supply of energy is one of the greatest challenges we are facing today – and will face in the future. To bring this issue into sharp focus, we can consider the long term dynamics of global energy supply:
- Global demand for energy will double by 2050 as several large countries enter the most energy-intensive phase of their economic development
- As early as 2015, easy-to-access oil and natural gas will not be able to keep up with demand. Renewable energy sources, however, will not be able to match the rise in energy needs
- An increase in the use of fossil fuels – coal in particular – is tied to an increase in carbon emissions caused by energy consumption
The conference featured keynote addresses and in the afternoon two panels and was devoted to exploring efficient ways of structuring the relationship between the use of resources and adding value. Attendees and speakers alike discussed the product development and production process as well as equipment availability in complex factory operations, focusing on the principle of ‘Avoid better than Reuse’ and different types of conventional and alternative ways to convert, store and use energy.