Energy Systems of the Future

An Initiative of the German National Academies of Sciences

This is what the future could look like in 2050: Electricity is mainly generated from wind and solar power. Cars are fuelled with electricity or hydrogen. Buildings are so well insulated that they no longer require heating.

How do we get there? What remains to be explored? And how is the transition towards a more sustainable energy supply to be financed? The Academies' Initiative "Energy Systems of the Future" provides answers to these questions.

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Current issues

News

Green Energy Transition: Progress through Focus on Opportunities and Solutions

How can the green energy transition advance despite numerous challenges and geopolitical crises? This question was at the heart of the Freiburg Energy Talks 2025, where experts discussed the current situation and explored solution-oriented approaches. A joint publication by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the Academies’ Initiative “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS) summarises the most important findings of the event.

News

Socio-ecological heat transition: The Academies' Project identify action areas

2024 saw the buildings sector once again struggle to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In order to achieve climate neutrality by 2045, the pace of the heat transition must therefore be increased rapidly. Two new publications from the academy initiative ESYS reveal that focusing on Worst Performing Buildings will be a key lever in this process. More attention should also be paid to social sustainability to mitigate financial hardship and make citizens active promoters of the heat transition. Further, the amount of information available about Germany’s building stock has to be improved to enable the introduction of targeted political measures.

The image shows a network of four icons that stand for the four types of power plants that the paper focuses on: nuclear fission, natural gas, geothermal energy and nuclear fusion.

News

Secure electricity supply is not dependent on baseload power plants

Nuclear power plants, geothermal energy, natural gas power plants with CO₂ capture and potentially nuclear fusion power plants can all be used as low-CO₂ baseload power plants – i.e. to provide a continuous supply of electricity. Will this type of power plant still be necessary in a future energy system dominated by solar and wind energy? The Academies’ Project “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS) concludes that a secure energy supply is possible without the involvement of baseload power plants. However, if in the future these power plants can be more cost effective than the alternatives, they may become part of the energy system.

Realistic assessments of the opportunities and measures are crucial for the success of the energy system transformation. By providing sound knowledge and explaining complex interrelationships, ESYS makes a key contribution to politics and society.

The crises of the last two years have made it even clearer that the energy transition cannot wait. Academies bundle knowledge for society and thus also knowledge for the energy transition.

Restructuring energy systems requires their intelligent connection across all sectors. The resilience of these critical infrastructures must be systemically embedded. As an interdisciplinary project, ESYS provides important impetus to do so.