In his inaugural lecture at TU Hamburg, Prof. Volker Lenz emphasized how necessary—but also how challenging—a comprehensive energy transition is. He conducts research at the German Biomass Research Center (DBFZ) in Leipzig and is recognized nationally and internationally as an expert on the energy transition. In May, he was awarded the title of professor by the Technical University of Hamburg in accordance with §17 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act. TU President Andreas Timm-Giel praised Professor Lenz's achievements in an introduction.
In his lecture, Professor Lenzen called for a significant acceleration in the expansion of renewable energies and the necessary grid infrastructure, because the share of renewable energies in Germany's gross energy supply in 2024 has so far only been at 22%. He emphasized the central role of scientific research and a clear digitization strategy.
In a preceding guest lecture, Stefan Müller, CEO of the solar company ENERPARC AG, provided insights into the German solar industry. According to Müller, accelerated expansion requires comprehensive education, the removal of bureaucratic hurdles, and more efficient management of the energy grid.
In his laudatory speech, Prof. Dr. Johannes Gescher, Dean of Process Engineering, praised Prof. Lenz's outstanding achievements and his influential role in biomass energy research and his commitment to teaching, especially in bachelor's degree programs. Prof. Lenz received his doctorate from the Technical University of Hamburg in 2011 and has been teaching at the TUHH since 2018. In addition to his scientific work, Lenz advises the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and contributes to the progress of the energy transition with publications and lectures both nationally and internationally.
