In his inaugural lecture “System Integration – Research for the Rocky Second Half of the Energy Transition” at the Technical University of Hamburg, Prof. Volker Lenz emphasized the urgency of a rapid energy transition. 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, the Technical University of Hamburg awarded him the title of professor in accordance with §17 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act for outstanding achievements – comparable to those of a regular professorship. His achievements were first recognized by TU President Andreas Timm-Giel. In his welcoming address, he congratulated Lenz on being awarded the professorship and emphasized the common ground between his research and the motto of the Technical University of Hamburg: “Engineering to Face Climate Change.”
Limiting the rise in temperature
In his presentation, Professor Lenz called for a significant acceleration in the expansion of renewable energies and the necessary grid infrastructure. This is necessary in order to limit the global temperature rise to 1.75 degrees by 2033. According to the latest calculations by the German Advisory Council on Climate Change, this is how much time remains to achieve climate neutrality after Germany has already exhausted its CO₂ budget for the Paris climate target of 1.5 degrees. At the same time, the share of renewable energies in gross energy consumption in 2024 was only 22 percent. Lenz sees enormous room for improvement here and emphasized the central role of scientific research and a clear digitalization strategy in developing new technologies and making energy systems more efficient and secure: “We must immediately phase out new fossil fuel technologies; we need renewable solutions that are accepted and research that offers solutions to these challenges.”
The lecture offered further interesting insights: Stefan Müller, CEO of the solar company ENERPARC AG, gave a guest lecture providing insight into the German solar industry. He emphasized the need for holistic digitization of the energy grid and the removal of bureaucratic hurdles in order to effectively promote the expansion of renewable energies.
Prof. Dr. Johannes Gescher, Dean of Process Engineering, praised Prof. Lenz's special achievements and his influential role in biomass energy research in his laudatory speech. Lenz received his doctorate from the Technical University of Hamburg in 2011 and has been teaching the elective course “Integration of Renewable Energies I and II” at the local Institute for Environmental Technology and Energy Economics 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.
