Energy Transition: Towards a Climate-Neutral Future
Author: Matthias Gaul
The transition to a sustainable and safe energy industry requires independent testing and expert services.
There is no way around withdrawing from the use of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal; renewable energies are becoming indispensable. "Photovoltaics, wind energy and biogas plants, as well as electromobility and the hydrogen technology are significantly driving the energy transition forward," confirms Philip Sulz, Head of Renewable Energies at DEKRA Automobil GmbH.
Energy transition: Focusing on sector coupling
A key factor in the success of the energy transition is sector coupling. Essentially, sector coupling means that electricity, heating, industry and transport sectors are no longer regarded independently, but rather as interconnected in order to fully exploit the potential of renewable energies. This could take the form of green electricity being converted into a liquid fuel (power-to-liquid), into heat or cold (power-to-heat/cold) or into a gas (power-to-gas) using power-to-X technologies, depending on requirements.
As far as the share of renewable energies in the electricity, heating and transport sectors is concerned, a lot has happened in Germany and other countries over the past few years. According to the Working Group on Renewable Energy Statistics (AGEE-Stat) at the German Environment Agency, there are however major differences between the individual sectors: While the share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption has doubled over the course of the past ten years and reached 51.8 percent in 2023, the shares in the heating (18.8 percent) and transport (7.3 percent) sectors have increased comparatively slowly. Wind energy made the largest contribution with a yield of 142.1 billion kWh. For comparison: According to the statistics portal Our World in Data, the share of renewable energies in the 2023 electricity mix was around 26 percent in France, just under 44 percent in Italy and around 73 percent in Portugal.
Comprehensive service portfolio for sustainable energies of the future
According to the German government's plans, renewables should cover at least 80 percent of Germany's electricity requirements by 2030. This in turn requires an expansion of the corresponding plants and systems, but also of storage capacities. After all, solar and wind energy, for example, are not always available.
To ensure a reliable energy supply over long periods of time, even when the sky is cloudy and the wind is calm, power needs to be stored on sunny or windy days. There is no shortage of options, ranging from pumped storage hydroelectricity plants and flexible biogas plants to largescale batteries or energy storage in the form of clean hydrogen. Virtual power plants are another alternative. The basis here is the combination of electricity producers such as wind turbines, biogas plants, photovoltaic plants, combined heat and power plants or hydropower plants. A central control system coordinates the various units and flexibly balances fluctuating energy supply and constantly changing energy demand.
Ensuring the safety of the plants and systems
However, there is another aspect to be considered here: "For this to be accepted by society, not only the performance, economic efficiency and practicability, but above all the safety of the plants and systems must be guaranteed," DEKRA Manager Philip Sulz points out. And this is precisely what DEKRA, as a driver of innovation in the TIC (Testing, Inspection, Certification) sector, ensures with its extensive technical expertise, as well as independent testing and expert services. From planning and approval to recurring inspections.
Open to technologies, DEKRA's expertise covers the entire value chain, from climate-friendly energy generation to energy transportation and usage. Occupational safety and fire protection experts are also deployed; they inspect onshore and offshore wind energy plants as well as photovoltaic and biogas plants and also check pipelines and the entire gas infrastructure.
In the area of electromobility, the experts carry out type testing of systems and vehicles, the assessment of individual vehicles and prototypes as well as battery tests. What's more, by providing assessments, approvals and recurring tests, this team of specialists ensures the performance and safety of charging solutions for commercial and private vehicles.
"Safe processes and systems are also essential for the use of green hydrogen," emphasizes Philip Sulz. In this context, DEKRA closely examines the existing infrastructure such as pipelines, new pipelines, gas fittings and the gas tanks that have been upgraded for hydrogen use. Additionally, DEKRA tests the electrolysis plants required to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, confirms the quality of the hydrogen and certifies the corresponding hydrogen filling plants and transport containers.