Section 2 i) Initial Research Work - Gewerbliche Schule Ravensburg

power from there to where it is needed. It is not only a challenge to the engineeringskills but even more a political risk. So, whereas photovoltaic energy is inefficient inGermany in Mr Ziegahn’s eyes and only contributed 1.1% to the production ofelectricity in Germany in 2008, wind energy is often faced with opposition by theresidents in the vicinity of wind parks and by nature activists.A more recent alternative is the harnessing of low-temperature heat of the ground.This energy is virtually unlimited, capable of base load i.e. permanently available andnearly free of emissions. But this energy source isn’t perfect either as it has only littlePoynting factor and a low-temperature level close to the surface. It will be science’sjob to find suitable places for cost-efficient exploitation of geothermal energy and toanalyze seismic and other risks that may result from harnessing geothermal energy.Energy from biomass which is favoured by many people is in a stiff competition withfood production and leads to monocultures, which leads to ethical implications.Another job of his institute is to assess the risks that go with so-called “Clean CoalPower” stations, which the German government is investing a lot of money in. Thestorage of CO2 gases underground, sequestration, may pose some risks as toleakage, duration, etc.To increase the acceptance of renewable energies the renewables will have tobecome more efficient and reliable. They may have to be transformed in energyforms that can be transported more easily and with fewer losses. When relying moreon renewables we also need more efficient storage facilities and capacities to bridgepossible periods of low-energy production. Transformation of energy with lowPoynting factor into secondary or tertiary energy forms for example chemical energyforms ( hydrocarbon could be a solution) with high Poynting factor may be one pathto go. In any case, whatever the solution will be, the energy management in terms ofdistribution and availability will have to become more efficient as well.Summing up Mr Ziegahn said that there is no doubt about increasing the share ofrenewable energies and improving energy efficiency but there still is no politicalconsensus on how fast that will have to take place (authors’ note: since Fukushimathe current German government has completely changed its energy policy and hasdecided to have switched off all nuclear power plants by 2022!), on how manysacrifices consumers and citizens are willing to make. But we all should be not tooenthusiastic but rather realistic as physics determines politics and not the other wayround, as there is no “magic” solution to the energy problem in sight in the nearfuture and as there seems to be an arduous path of slow and step-by-stepdevelopments. The best way to cope with the future problems is investment ineducation as it produces creativity, intelligence, and the capacity for inventions.By Marion Dobler and David Brinz(transl.: Meinrad Mager)4