Innovation in the energy market hinges less on technological discovery than on delivery, this DLD26 conversation between Martin Keller, President of the Helmholtz Association, and journalist Vijay Vaitheeswaran (The Economist) shows.
The challenge is clear: geopolitical instability threatens energy supplies, while climate change makes the transition to renewable energy more and more urgent. “I always say every crisis is also an opportunity”, Keller notes. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Hey, now is the time. Let’s do something differently. Go and let’s make some changes.’”
One hurdle, though, is Europe’s long-standing gap between scientific excellence and commercialization of lab research. “We are not very good in moving this forward”, Keller admits. But he sees a necessity for change. For Germany to stay competitive, “we have to bring innovation, we have to link research to an outcome.”
Bringing costs down will be key. “We need to make energy creation cheaper”, Keller demands. For solar power, he sees a big opportunity in perovskite, a molecule that can be applied to flexible surfaces like ink, the scientist explains. “So the future will be that you make solar panels the way we’re making newspapers, in a roll-to-roll process, which will enable solar to penetrate into spaces which right now we can’t.”
Watch the video to explore this session in detail.
