Research projects
Empowering Change: Tailored Narratives and Communication Strategies for Accelerating the Energy Transition
The project aims to develop innovative narratives and visualizations of the energy transition that resonate with everyday life, tailored as targeted communication strategies for end consumers. The primary objective is to enhance the active engagement of private households in the energy transition, with a specific focus on the 'buildings and housing' sector. This sector accounts for a significant portion of household-related primary energy demand, particularly in heating, hot water production, lighting, and electrical appliance usage. Traditional fact-based communication approaches have struggled to effectively reach the general public, often failing to translate information and motivation into tangible actions. To address this challenge, the project employs a multifaceted approach that includes media analyses, photovoice, design fiction techniques, and data networks. These methods are utilized to explore the interplay between citizens' living environments and actionable solutions.
The transdisciplinary team brings together expertise from communication, urban studies, design, engineering sciences, energy supply, as well as practical insights from Handwerkskammer Düsseldorf and Verbraucherzentrale NRW.
By leveraging diverse perspectives and collaborative efforts, the project aims to bridge the gap between knowledge dissemination and behavioral change, ultimately fostering greater participation in sustainable energy practices among private households.
Funded by: Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK)
Duration: 2023 - 2026
Project coordinator:Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Project partners: Energieversorgung Oberhausen, Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Hagen
Projekt Carbon2Chem - RegStat
The research project carbon2Chem is financed by the Ministry for Education and Research. It aims to reduce unavoidable CO2-emissions through the CCU-approach (Carbon Capture and Utilization ) which result in particular from steel works, cement works, and incineration plants.The consortium consists of 17 scientific partners currently working in 7 partial projects.
Through the CCU-process the unavoidable CO2-emissions are returned to the production cycle. The use of new fossil resources is thereby avoided. The recycling process also provides the necessary carbon-based resources.
The first phase focused on basic research. The main focus in the current phase is on applied research. The last phase of the project will focus on industrial-scale implementation.
The developement of a cross-industrial-production-network aimed at the reduction of CO2-emissions and the manufacture of new resources for the chemical industry was succesful. The project achieved a significant reduction of emissions in steel works.
Within this context, the chair of environmental science explores the regulatory framework and which regulations are neccessary for implementing CCU technology. The first step is the analysus of the existing and relevant regulations to determine whether gaps in the existing regulation exist.
Based on that analysis, a strategic concept will be developed to adapt the regulatory framework to facilitate the cross-industrial-network.
