{"id":8728,"date":"2025-01-13T17:16:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T16:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.fichtner.de\/?p=8728"},"modified":"2025-01-20T18:21:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T17:21:52","slug":"fichtner-talks-2024-trust-is-the-new-currency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fichtner.de\/en\/fichtner-talks-2024-trust-is-the-new-currency\/","title":{"rendered":"FICHTNER Talks 2024: Trust Is the New Currency \u2013 The Rest We Can Manage"},"content":{"rendered":"

FICHTNER Talks 2024<\/p><\/h2><\/div>

Trust Is the New Currency \u2013 The Rest We Can Manage<\/p>\n<\/div>

The traditional FICHTNER Talks took place on 24 September 2024. The FICHTNER Talks roundtable discussed the main hurdles on the path to climate neutrality. This panel of experts found that most of those hurdles are surprisingly not of a technical nature, but rather need to be understood in systemic terms.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"FICHTNER<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

In his opening remarks, Dr. Andreas Weidler, CEO of the Fichtner Group, explained the guiding theme of this year\u2019s FICHTNER Talks, namely \u201cTransformation Projects in a Dynamic Energy Market\u201d, and referenced the \u201chistorical turning point\u201d proclaimed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the inauguration of the first liquefied natural gas terminal in Wilhelmshaven in December 2022, along the accompanying strategy of the government to speed up the transformation of infrastructure in Germany. \u201cThis is the essence of the challenge facing our industry. It\u2019s about speed and action.\u201c<\/p>\n

Five messages summarize the findings of the FICHTNER Talks 2024:<\/p>\n

Message No. 1: Basing political decisions on broader energy scenarios<\/h4>\n

Long-term scenarios serving as a basis for political decision-making should cover a broad range of analysis and take into account current developments, technological, political and social uncertainties as well as possible external disruptive factors, while also revealing politically sensitive premises. The repercussions of failing to meet targets should be made transparent, for example if only 80% of greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 2045. Looking forward, the resulting measures, such as targeted funding of disruptive innovations, strengthening of climate impact protection measures, etc., must be described and evaluated in the scenario context.<\/p>\n

Message No. 2: Significantly strengthening flexibilities<\/h4>\n

Balancing supply and demand, as well as balancing the grid and the market, requires flexibilities. This affects not only the generation side, but also the demand side \u2013 as well as grids at all levels and all media. A systematic flexibility concept and, above all, a strong will to implement it are needed to provide flexibilities. For example, the controllability of solar power installations could make an important contribution, since only electricity that is actually needed has any value.<\/p>\n

Message No. 3: Simplifying the legal framework<\/h4>\n

According to the FICHTNER Talks roundtable, the goal of climate neutrality in Germany by 2045 is technically feasible, but the complex and extensive legal framework (comprising over 18,000 elements) alone will cause delays. The participants in the roundtable were alarmed to discover that the current energy legislation and regulation comprises many times more legal norms than the German Civil Code. That complexity must be reduced. It would therefore be better to incentivize the achievement of targets according to predefined criteria and allow leeway in the implementation, rather than bureaucratizing the enthusiasm of committed individuals through standards and requirements.<\/p>\n

Message No. 4: Incentivizing private investment \u2013 the money is there<\/h4>\n

Private-sector incentives are needed to raise the billions required for the initial investments. Reliable, long-term business models are necessary for this. There is also insufficient communication of the science-based fact that renewable energy systems can also be economically more advantageous than fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. For the solutions that are already economically viable today, such as PV, wind, e-mobility, heat pumps in new buildings, etc., it is essential to develop standardized financing models that can be launched \u201cat the click of a mouse\u201d. The market entry of future technologies that are important for decarbonization (from H2<\/sub> to CCU) would be facilitated by a robust CO2<\/sub> certificate system based on the ETS model.<\/p>\n

Message No. 5: Restoring trust<\/h4>\n

The roundtable of experts at the FICHTNER Talks unanimously ranked the criteria for a successful energy transition in the following order: trust, technology, money, (systemic) unison, and digitization.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"FICHTNER<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Roundtable of the FICHTNER Talks 2024 with (from left to right) Dr. Albrecht Reuter, Dr. Detlef Drake, Dr. Michael Weise, Marilen Schl\u00e4fer, Thomas Raab, Prof. Dr. Michael Obersteiner, Johannes Rager<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The FICHTNER Talks roundtable expressed concern about the increasing loss of trust that the energy transition process is currently experiencing. The expert community has committed to doing its part to ensure that the importance of infrastructure transformation is communicated and understood, and that the positive aspects of a collaborative effort are conveyed. After all, independent engineering consultants in particular have the opportunity to talk to all the important players and, if all goes well, to be heard by most of them.<\/p>\n

Preview of the FICHTNER TALKS 2025<\/h3>\n

The \u201cTopping-Out Ceremony of the Energy Transition\u201d will be the focus of the \u201c10 Years of FICHTNER Talks\u201d anniversary event on 23 September 2025. We will be discussing the various alternative paths to the net-zero solution and the impact of our messages from the last event with the following prominent figures, among others (in order of appearance in the program):<\/p>\n