SCI4climate.NRW

Scientific center of competence for the transformation towards a climate-neutral industry of basic materials in NRW

Duration:   2018 – 2022

Funding:  Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Project partners:  Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology, German Economic Institute (IW), VDEh-Betriebsforschungsinstitut GmbH, Chair of Technical Thermodynamics (LTT), RWTH Aachen

Project:

The aim of the project SCI4climate.NRW is the scientific analysis of systemic challenges the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and its energy-intensive industry for basic materials are facing within the transformation towards a climate-neutral and sustainable industry until the year 2050.

Acting as a scientific center of competence, the project investigates the development perspectives and configuration options of a climate-neutral and competitive industry for basic materials. To this end, the requirements, challenges, chances and risks as well as the stakeholders’ options for action are evaluated. Special attention is paid to the alteration of the energy system in the course of the energy transformation and associated economic interdependencies. The scientific work and prepared studies enhance the dialog with entrepreneurial and federal actors of the IN4climate.NRW initiative by providing information on possible transformation paths, their impacts and options for action.

The project focuses on four thematic areas: “technology and infrastructure”, “products and supply chains”, “scenarios and transformations paths” as well as the “general framework”. Within the area of “products and supply chains”, the Chair of Operations Management undertakes research on the demand-side measures along the life cycle of selected goods including the entire value chain from product design via production and usage up to a sophisticated recirculation strategy.