Germany pledged to become climate neutral by 2045 with the amendment to the Climate Protection Act (Klimaschutzgesetz) and the more stringent climate protection provisions it contains. In order to achieve this goal, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 65 percent by 2030 and by at least 88 percent by 2040 compared to the levels in 1990. The Bavarian Climate Protection Act even stipulates that Bavaria must become climate neutral by 2040. The state is keen to act as an example. State administration intends to be climate neutral by 2028. From a technical and economical point of view, this is feasible, but it requires a lot of effort: electricity must be supplied predominantly via wind power and solar power, energy efficiency must be encouraged in all sectors and hydrogen must be used more extensively in energy logistics. FAU has set itself the goal of developing technologies and management processes which will allow these ambitious targets to be met sooner and at a lower cost.

FAU has a valuable contribution to make to tackling climate change, as our expertise in the area of energy research is second to none. Scientists, engineers and economists are working across the faculties to develop innovative methods and processes for an integrated energy system, for example in the areas of photovoltaics and hydrogen economy, geothermal systems, e-mobility, materials research and energy systems analysis. The hub for this interdisciplinary research is Energie Campus Nürnberg.

On this website, we have split climate and energy research at FAU into four pillars Understand, Solutions, Impact and Reflect, where we introduce the professors and their research in the field.

FAU remains true to its motto ‘Knowledge in motion’ in the field of climate and energy research, putting its research findings to excellent practical use via collaboration with renowned practical partners. The four pillars of climate and energy research at FAU: