FZ Jülich

How can Europe achieve climate neutrality while strengthening resilience and competitiveness? A new study by ESD researchers at Jülich Systems Analysis explores pathways for Europe’s energy transition and was presented by Prof. Jochen Linßen at the European symposium “Squaring the Circle: The Future of the EU Energy System – Net-Zero, Resilient & Competitive?” in Brussels. The event brought together representatives from European institutions, research organizations, and industry to discuss key challenges and opportunities for Europe’s energy future.

Marvin Dorn, KIT

KIT is expanding the Energy Lab – Europe’s leading research infrastructure for renewable energy systems – with a sodium-ion battery storage system. Researchers will investigate this emerging energy storage technology under realistic operating conditions, further strengthening KIT’s research into safe, sustainable, and high-performance storage technologies for tomorrow’s energy supply.

Grafik: Hohenheim/KIT

Paving the way for tomorrow’s solutions: This is the motivation of scientists from all nine state universities in Baden-Württemberg, who are working toward a future in which fossil raw materials and energy sources are increasingly replaced by sustainable alternatives. At the state press conference held on July 21, 2026 in Stuttgart, the universities presented a list of 99 research projects for a post-fossil future. KIT makes an important contribution, also with projects from our ESD program. 

Janik Hebel, TU Darmstadt

Iron could become a chemical energy storage medium for making large amounts of renewable energy available over the long term. In a CO₂-neutral cycle, iron powder is combusted and then regenerated using energy. Researchers at KIT have shown that while iron will not replace hydrogen, it could serve as a valuable complement in a climate-neutral energy system.

HAdW/Schwerdt

The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities awarded the 2026 Ecology Prize of the Viktor & Sigrid Dulger Foundation to Benjamin Schäfer for his work on the stability and resilience of the power grid through transparent, explainable AI methods.

Markus Breig, KIT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly helping to ensure the stable operation of electricity grids, improve the forecasting of electricity prices and use energy more efficiently. However, in critical infrastructure such as the energy system, AI should not be a black box – decisions must remain traceable at all times. Researchers at KIT have developed a new method that allows AI-based predictions for energy systems to be analysed with significantly greater transparency. Results published in Nature Communications.