Our topics.
EPC implements interdisciplinary and sustainable projects at national and international level that focus on the topics climate protection and climate change adaptation, and resource management and the biobased economy.
EPC implements interdisciplinary and sustainable projects at national and international level that focus on the topics climate protection and climate change adaptation, and resource management and the biobased economy.
A major contributor to global heating and its consequences is the high level of greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 can also be converted into valuable raw materials thanks to newly developed processes. In this manner, our projects focus on the production of sustainable plastics by means of electrochemical processes using CO2 and renewable electricity. We offer guidance in how to embed these new technologies into the stakeholders’ spheres of social and economic activity, ensuring target group-specific knowledge transfer.
An essential step towards an environmentally friendly and climate-friendly economy is the efficient use of resources by reducing consumption and using intelligent recycling processes for materials and energy involving sustainable production cycles. We develop the appropriate measures for commercial and industrial processes as well as for a sustainable energy supply in residential areas through dialog with the relevant stakeholders. In so doing, the use of resources—and the environment and human health—can be improved in the long term.
The goal of the biobased economy is to move away from an economy based on fossil fuels towards a biobased economy with sustainable value added chains. This requires all stakeholders involved to share a common vision as well as innovative strategies at regional, national, and international level. Our projects in the biobased economy connect various groups of stakeholders in the E.U. and support selected regions in developing and implementing their own projects as well as evaluating existing biobased economy strategies at the regional level.
Energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption play a decisive role in reducing CO2 emissions. For this reason, many of our projects are committed to lowering the primary energy consumption by means such as reducing energy consumption in the automotive supply chain or developing an improved E.U.-wide energy certificate. These processes are largely guided by scientific experts and people with much experience in the field to ensure the successful transfer of research results into real-life situations.
Germany has embarked on a path toward a long-term sustainable energy policy when the country expanded the use of renewable energies and initiated the transformation of the country’s energy supply. Our projects in the field of renewable energies contribute to the energy revolution, for example, through optimized wind turbines or the innovative heat supply of commercial and residential areas. It is particularly in the area of acceptance that we develop interactive measures in our projects for an early and prudent dialog with stakeholders from specific industries and residents impacted by the measures.
The public is becoming increasingly aware of climate change and its consequences. Average temperatures are already significantly higher in urbanized areas than in undeveloped areas. Areas with high population and building stock density are particularly affected. In addition, there is often an increased risk of flooding due to an increasing number of heavy rainfall events. Together with the affected stakeholders we develop strategies and suitable measures for our climate change adaptation concepts, which are then communicated and implemented locally according to the respective geographical conditions.
In the future, cities will be more severely impacted by the consequences of climate change in the form of heat and heavy rain. Heavy rainfall events in densely built-up areas often mean high material damage as the result. It is crucial to inject innovative knowledge into urban planning processes at an early stage, since the urban planning of the future will also need to rely on building structures and paving roads. For this reason, we provide support to and advise stakeholders in specialist fields on issues regarding climate adaptation planning and the implementation of measures.