Global warming is progressing, extreme weather events and natural disasters are becoming more frequent. Despite this, climate change is hardly receiving any attention in the election campaign for the Bundestag elections. The members of the new application center for all regenerative forms of energy for the decarbonization of transport, buildings and industry (AZARE) at Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM) now want to be pioneers and have therefore set themselves the task of building an efficient and sustainable energy system by developing and implementing regional solutions.
Hochschule RheinMain has founded the interdisciplinary AZARE research center to investigate all regenerative forms of energy for the decarbonization of transport, buildings and industry from an ecological and economic perspective. Solutions are being developed to drive forward the transition to a sustainable energy system: "We want to be pioneers in research and application," says Prof. Dr. Birgit Scheppat, Head of AZARE. Sixteen HSRM researchers from various fields have already joined forces to support companies and municipalities in the South Hesse region in their efforts to achieve climate neutrality. For example, solutions are currently being developed together with a company to increase energy efficiency in the company's own plants, optimize the use of renewable energy and make the energy supply at the sites sustainable. Another project is pursuing the goal of testing a modular hydrogen storage system for industrial applications - particularly with regard to the special vehicle sector.
New advisory board: support from business, politics and society
The Research Center's external advisory board met for the first time on February 13, 2025. It is made up of people from industry and business, civil society institutions, science and politics and supports AZARE in its strategic orientation. The advisory board's expertise and experience are incorporated into the identification of specific topics and projects, the professional and critical exchange with researchers, the transfer of science and the further development of the research center. "In this way, we ensure an intensive exchange with all relevant partners. In this way, we can establish and expand cooperation with the state of Hesse, the city of Rüsselsheim am Main and commercial enterprises," says Prof. Dr. Scheppat.
During the constituent meeting, Sabine Meder, Managing Director of the Wiesbaden Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was elected Chairwoman and Robert Lippmann, Managing Director of the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and Ulrich Schmidt, member of the Supervisory Board of MEWA Textil-Service SE, were elected Deputy Chairmen of the External Advisory Board.
The research strategy and research focus were then presented and a look was taken into the future as to how climate neutrality can be achieved in Germany. In this context, Prof. Dr. Thomas Heimer, member of the Expert Council for Climate Issues and Deputy Director of the AZARE Research Center, presented the results of the recently published review. These showed that progress in climate protection is not sufficient to achieve the national greenhouse gas reduction goals for 2030.
"A central aspect of the newly founded research center will be to develop highly efficient strategies that not only promote the decarbonization of the transport sector, but also sustainably reduce energy consumption in building technology and industry," emphasized HSRM President Prof. Dr. Eva Waller. "Innovative approaches must be found and pursued. It is essential to intensify the exchange of knowledge and experience. Only through close cooperation between science, business and politics can we successfully master the challenges we face."
The members of the external advisory board (overview)
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Bayer, Vice-President Research, Provadis School of International Management and Technology AG
- Patrick Burghardt, Lord Mayor of the City of Rüsselsheim am Main
- Martin Heindl, Managing Director of VKU - Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e. V.
- Jörg Höhler, Member of the Management Board of ESWE Versorgungs AG and President of DVGW - German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water
- Dr. Andreas Hoffknecht, Managing Director Technology, DB Energie GmbH
- Robert Lippmann, Managing Director, IHK Darmstadt
- Michael Ludwig, VDI Rheingau-Bezirksverein e. V.
- Sabine Meder, Managing Director, IHK Wiesbaden
- Prof. Dr. Tobias Melz, Institute Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and Reliability LBF
- Astrid Messmer Rodriguez, Deutsche Lufthansa AG
- Dr.-Ing. Dirk Rensink, Technical Manager Fuel Cell Simulation, Segula Technologies
- Jürgen Schmidt, Managing Director, ÜWG Überlandwerk Groß-Gerau GmbH
- Ulrich Schmidt, Member of the Supervisory Board, MEWA Textil-Service SE
- Alexander Kay Steinberg, Managing Director of Spedition Edgar Graß
- Dr. Silke Wagener, Member of the National Hydrogen Council
- Klaus-Peter Willsch, Member of the Bundestag, Rheingau-Taunus/Limburg CDU constituency
Further information on the AZARE research center