How will we look back on 2020 ten years from now? Of course, we cannot answer this question with the same scientific precision that we, as a research association, expect from the results of our projects. Even so, looking back on the present day from an imaginary future is an important method in futurology. After all, one characteristic of long-term changes is the fact that a large number of influencing factors come together and give history a new spin that only gradually becomes visible in structures. Looking back to the present day helps us recognise these influencing factors. So how will we look back on this extraordinary year in ten years’ time? Will our collective memory include more than just the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences for society and the economy?

We think it will!In ten years we might see that, in 2020, Germany and Europe took decisive steps to combat climate change. People recognised that, although local production of renewable electricity from wind and the sun represents an important element of greener energies, it would not solve the fundamental problem how to eliminate fossil fuels from all sectors. With the National and EU Hydrogen Strategies, Germany and Europe prepared the ground for renewable chemical energy carriers in transport and the decarbonisation of key primary industries.

The strategies and the associated funds sparked enormous change: for the first time, plants were set up that were capable of producing power-to-X energy carriers in large quantities. During the course of the 2020s, many of these plants were built not in Central Europe, but in regions of the world with more sun and wind – using mechanical engineering expertise from German and European companies. Although combustion engines, which form part of the name of our research association, were subsequently joined by fuel cells and electric powertrains, they performed a key role in getting greener energies up and running in all sectors. The same goes for the energy sector itself – while it is generating an ever-growing share of renewable electricity, it also relies on the storage possibilities of chemical energy carriers. We believe that turbomachinery will therefore continue to play a key part in the world of energy. At the same time, digitalisation and artificial intelligence have accelerated and expanded the development and connection of ever more complex technical systems. This has led to significantly smarter and more efficient transport and energy systems.

Admittedly, all of this is only a vision. But where would our world be if courageous people had not invested their time and money in visionary approaches? Progress takes courage. Overconfidence, on the other hand, can quickly lead to negative developments.

Extract from the editorial by Prof. Dr. Peter Gutzmer (President) and Dietmar Goericke (Managing Director)