Energy Technologies

For mitigating climate change, technological change is required across the entire energy sector in a broad sense, ranging from the generation of useful energy, over transport and storage, to energy use by companies and individuals, and including the management of carbon dioxide potentially released during the generation and use of energy. Our group studies technological change concerning a broad range of energy technologies:

Renewables. Growing from small niche technologies to being a centerpiece of the low-carbon transition, renewable energy technologies play an important part in EPG’s research portfolio. Our expertise concerns technology forecasting, policy analysis, and financing aspects concerning solar photovoltaics (PV), onshore wind turbines, offshore wind turbines, geothermal power plants, and biomass-based power plants

Energy storage. Being a crucial complement to intermittent renewables, and a crucial component for the electrification of transport, we study energy storage technologies for almost 15 years. EPG has deep expertise concerning innovation patterns and public policies concerning metal-ion batteries, but we also study thermo-mechanical storage, pumped-hydro storage, and heat storage.

Carbon dioxide removal. Besides deep decarbonization, technologies for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) are needed to balance residual emissions on the path to net zero and to manage overshoot through net-negative CO₂ removals. Since four years, EPG studies the technological potential of CDR technologies like direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), as well as support policies, regulatory, and financing aspects.

Low-carbon transport. As a major contributor to CO₂ emissions, the transport sector requires a transition to low-carbon technologies for vehicles on land, on water, and in the air. At EPG, we study technological change particularly in road transport (including heavy duty freight transport) and aviation.

Energy-intensive industry. Modern economies rely on energy-intensive industries to produce basic materials and industrial goods. At EPG, we study technological change in emission-intense sectors such as cement, platform chemicals, and steel.

Energy for development. In many developing countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, the necessary energy transition is not just about reducing emissions, but also about increasing the access to energy, especially to affordable and reliable electricity. The research at EPG concerns policy and financing aspects related to technologies such as offgrid solar, minigrids, and energy use services.