We are bundling our activities in four cross-center lighthouses to tackle key challenges of energy transition.

ESD Lighthouses

Illustration of the four ESD lighthouses

Within ESD, researchers of all centers work together in four joint Lighthouses.

  1. In the Lighthouse Transition Scenarios until 2045, we create and assess comprehensive socio-technical energy scenarios including techno-economic considerations as well as societal and political factors influencing the acceptance of technologies, behavioral patterns, willingness to support the energy transition, and institutional and organizational influences.
  2. The Lighthouse Sustainability Assessment encompasses prospective systems analysis research, sustainability assessment methodologies, and technology integration, focusing on emerging technologies like hydrogen, Power-to-X, batteries and negative emission technologies, ensuring a comprehensive approach considering stakeholder values and sustainability.
  3. The third Lighthouse summarizes the research and results of the ESD program in the field of Local Energy Transformation. The research results address three central challenges: (i) Optimal design of sector-coupled, local energy systems; (ii) Safe and efficient operation of sector-coupled local energy systems; and (iii) Control of local, inverter-dominated power grids.
  4. The focus of the Lighthouse Large Scale Energy Systems lies on the coupling of electricity and gas grids at the large-scale transmission level and the integration of large-scale flexibilities.