Dr. Christian Urbanke presented new approaches to global energy supply in a lecture at the University of Applied Sciences in Friedberg. The speaker emphasized the important role that qualified engineers will play in the future in utilizing alternative energy sources and developing innovative systems.
Dr. Urbanke, a member of the board of directors for "Power Transmission and Distribution" at Siemens AG, pointed out in his presentation that globally, electricity consumption doubles approximately every twenty years. He cited the growth of the world's population, increasing life expectancy, and migration to cities as reasons for this. The reserves of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, which are primarily used to generate electricity, will soon be depleted. It is essential to invest early in new technologies that will not only provide the energy needed by humanity in the future but are also more environmentally friendly than conventional fuels. This also offers a way to halt global warming resulting from high carbon dioxide emissions.
The speaker cited highly efficient, low-CO2 power plants and the technological advancement, increased utilization, and more economical use of renewable energy sources as examples of such innovative solutions. Improved high-voltage technology also enables the reliable and low-loss transmission of energy over long distances. Intelligent generation and load control ensures high utilization of electrical grids while simultaneously protecting them from overload and outages.
A large audience accepted the invitation from the Department of Information Technology – Electrical Engineering – Mechatronics to this lecture. University members and interested guests from local politics and schools took the opportunity to discuss "Innovative Technologies for the Energy Supply of Today and Tomorrow" with the speaker after his presentation.
