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A comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency and sustainability of data centres in the EU based on measured values was carried out for the first time. This was based on data submitted by data centres to the EU as part of a reporting obligation.

A consortium consisting of the Borderstep Institute, EY and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) analysed the information submitted and assessed the current status of data centres in the EU based on sustainability and performance indicators.

The report “European Commission: Directorate-General for Energy, AIT, Borderstep and EY, Assessment of the Energy Performance and Sustainability of Data Centres in the EU – First Technical Report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025” is available to download free of charge.

European Green Deal & Energy Efficiency Directive

With the European Green Deal, the EU is pursuing the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050.

To achieve this, it aims to:

• drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions,

• promote sustainable business practices, and

• actively protect the environment, resources, and biodiversity.

Energy efficiency contributes to reducing overall energy consumption. It is therefore of central importance for the realisation of the EU’s climate protection goals.

The Energy Efficiency Directive defines the targets and measures for data centres. These measures ensure that digitalisation and sustainability go hand in hand:

• Climate neutrality by 2030: Operators should run data centres in the EU in a climate-neutral manner by 2030 at the latest.
• Increase energy efficiency: The aim is to significantly reduce the energy consumption of data centres, e.g. through more efficient cooling, better hardware and optimised management.
• Utilise renewable energies: Renewable energy sources cover the electricity requirements of data centres wherever possible.
• Promote waste heat utilisation: Operators use the waste heat generated during operation sensibly, for example to heat buildings.
• Transparency and monitoring: Operators should regularly report on the energy consumption and environmental impact of their data centres.

Key figures on the sustainability of data centres

For the first time, researchers have now systematically collected data from EU data centres. They use recognized industry key performance indicators (KPIs) to draw well-founded conclusions about the sustainability of data centres based on these surveys. These enable a comparable and objective assessment of key aspects such as energy efficiency, resource utilisation and environmental impact.

PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness): How efficiently does a data centre use energy?

The PUE key figure indicates the additional energy required by the data centre infrastructure. It is therefore the key indicator for evaluating the energy efficiency of data centre infrastructure and the building.

The PUE figure indicates the additional energy required by the data centre infrastructure. It is therefore the key indicator for evaluating the energy efficiency of data centre infrastructure and the building.

A PUE of 1.5 means that for every kilowatt hour (kWh) used for servers, storage and network devices, an additional half kWh is consumed for data centre infrastructure such as cooling, power distribution and lighting. It therefore shows the relationship between the total energy consumption of a data centre and the energy consumption of the IT hardware.

Experts consider a low PUE value efficient, but they use it only to indicate the additional energy consumption of the building and cooling infrastructure—not of the entire data centre.

What is the relationship between total energy consumption and energy consumption of information technology?

The current reporting shows PUE average values of between 1.15 and 1.66 for the member states, while the EU as a whole has a value of 1.36. To enlarge the values, please open the image in a new tab.

WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness): How efficiently is water used in the data centre?

The WUE key figure measures how efficiently a data centre uses water, expressed in cubic metres per megawatt hour of energy consumption for information technology (m3/MWh). A lower WUE value indicates higher water efficiency, which means that less water is used for the same computing power.WUE measures how efficiently a data centre uses water, expressed in cubic metres per megawatt hour of information technology energy consumption (m3/MWh). A lower WUE value indicates higher water efficiency, which means that less water is used for comparable IT capacity.

The water consumption of data centres depends primarily on the cooling technology used: Facilities that use evaporative systems consume a lot of water, while facilities that rely on dry coolers operate with little or no water.

Different conditions in Europe are not taken into account

The WUE is a helpful indicator for uniformly assessing the water consumption of data centres. However, the collected WUE Categories 1 and 2 are not showing what type of water is used or how scarce water is in the respective region. Possible effects on the local environment are also not taken into account – and there are very different conditions in Europe.

The current reporting shows WUE values of between 0.07 m³/MWh and 1.28 m³/MWh for the member states. The EU as a whole has a value of 0.58 m³/MWh. To enlarge the values please open the image in a new tab.

ERF (Energy Reuse Factor): How energy efficient is a data centre?

REF: The Energy Reuse Factor assesses how energy-efficient a data centre is. It indicates how much of the energy consumed – in particular through the waste heat generated – is reused for other purposes. For example, this surplus energy can heat buildings, warm water, or feed district and local heating networks.

The ERF assesses how extensively the theoretical waste heat generated by a data centre is used. It indicates how much of the energy consumed – in particular through the waste heat generated – is reused for other purposes. This surplus energy can, for example, be used to heat buildings, to heat water or to feed into district and local heating networks.

The value is between 0 and 1: An ERF of 1 means that all the energy used is completely reused. However, this is hardly achievable in practice, as energy is always lost during the transport or utilisation of waste heat and also depends on the demand of the heat consumer. An ERF of 0, on the other hand, means that no energy is recovered.

The use of waste heat from data centres offers a great opportunity

According to the Borderstep Institute, the electricity consumption of data centres in Germany alone was 20 terawatt hours in 2024. The digital association Bitkom estimates that the 90 large German data centres currently generate largely unused waste heat, which could theoretically supply 350,000 homes in Germany.

In the current reporting, the ERF values for the member states are between 0 (countries without waste heat utilisation from data centres in the reported data) and 0.457. The EU as a whole has a value of 0.205. However, the values here relate exclusively to data centres that use waste heat at all. In relation to all data centres, the value is 0.018. This means that data centres currently reuse only around 1.8 percent of their waste heat.To enlarge the values please open the image in a new tab.

REF (Renewable Energy Factor): How much renewable energy is used?

REF: The Renewable Energy Factor evaluates the proportion of a data centre’s energy consumption from renewable sources. It is expressed as a ratio or percentage, where a REF of 1.0 means that all energy consumption comes from renewable sources.

Data centres in the EU are increasingly relying on renewable energies

In many EU member states, there is an encouraging trend: data centres are increasingly using renewable energy, achieving an average REF of 0.87 across the EU.

This means that 87 percent of the electricity used by data centres comes from renewable sources. By comparison, the share of renewable energy in total electricity consumption in the EU is currently around 45 per cent. This means that data centres are already making a significantly above-average contribution to the energy transition in many countries.

The current reporting shows REF values of between 0.36 and 1.00 for the member states. The EU as a whole has a value of 0.86. This means that 86 percent of the energy used by data centres comes from renewable energy sources according to the definition of the REF (i.e. including certificates of origin). To enlarge the values please open the image in a new tab.

Why should we take a holistic view of the energy efficiency of data centres? PUE & Co. in interaction

Why PUE alone is not enough? Increases in PUE efficiency can have unintended consequences for other sustainability indicators. A holistic assessment must therefore include several indicators:

PUE: The PUE indicator shows how efficiently a data centre uses energy. It is the key indicator for evaluating the energy efficiency of data centres.
>ERF: The ERF – the proportion of energy recovered and utilised elsewhere – is also not directly related to the PUE. Energy-efficient cooling methods can, for example, make it more difficult to utilise waste heat and thus reduce the ERF.

REF: A low PUE says nothing about the origin of the energy used. A sustainable overall picture only emerges if the proportion of renewable energy is also high.
>WUE: If data centres improve the PUE, e.g. by switching to water-based cooling, this can increase water consumption – and thus worsen the WUE value.

The data collected for the first time provides a clearer picture of where European data centres stand in terms of sustainability - and how their future can be effectively shaped.

How can data centres become greener?

Many data centres state that they use “green electricity” – i.e. electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar. Until now, companies have often ensured this using so-called guarantees of origin. Critics are increasingly questioning this method, as it does not always ensure that new green electricity is actually generated from renewable sources.

What are better ways to support the transition to a climate-neutral energy system?

Better ways to support the transition to a climate-neutral energy system:

Green electricity contracts (PPAs). Allow companies to purchase electricity directly from new wind or solar power plants and thereby actively support the expansion of renewable energies.

Hourly coordination of electricity generation and consumption. If data centres coordinate their consumption precisely with the times when green electricity is actually available, this helps the entire electricity system to become more climate-friendly.

On-site power generation. When data centres generate their own electricity from solar energy or other sources, they produce it exactly where it is needed. This relieves the power grid, reduces transmission losses, and saves space because operators do not have to build large plants far away.

Classification of the electricity consumption of data centres in the EU

In the first round of surveys (2023), researchers recorded data centres consuming a total of 14,088 GWh (14.09 TWh) of energy (see report p. 80).

Compared to the datacentermap.com database, a completeness of the first reporting of ~36% is assumed (see report p. 24). Datacentermap.com relies largely on voluntary entries and does not represent a comprehensive database of all data centres.

Furthermore, operators of data centres and IT rooms under 500 kW do not have to report their data. This means that the current figures do not contradict the 45-65 TWh from the meta-study by Kamiya, G. & Bertoldi, P. (2024) or the bottom-up estimate based on server sales of ~87 TWh forecast for 2025 in Hintemann (2020).

Publications on the topic

For the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency and sustainability of data centres in the EU is available. This is based on data provided by operators as part of a new EU reporting obligation.

The Borderstep Institute, together with EY and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), prepared the First Technical Report on behalf of the Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER). The report is part of the Data Centre Energy Efficiency Assessment and Reporting (EUDCEAR) project.

Analysis of key figures

The study evaluates data centres using established key figures on energy consumption, resource use and environmental impact. Including Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), Renewable Energy Factor (REF) and Energy Reuse Factor (ERF).

Major differences between the locations

The results show: Only 36 percent of the data centres subject to reporting requirements in the EU took part in the first survey. There are considerable differences between the locations, which indicate great potential for efficiency improvements. The Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact is regarded as a positive industry benchmark, particularly in terms of water consumption.

Feedback from the industry highlights the need for clear guidelines, simpler reporting obligations and standardised definitions in order to improve the quality and completeness of the data.

Contribution to EU climate targets

Borderstep’s analysis supports the implementation of the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU Energy Efficiency Directive. These goals include greater energy efficiency, the increased use of renewable energies, the utilisation of waste heat and transparent reporting on energy consumption and environmental impact. A further technical report will follow and create the basis for an EU-wide energy efficiency label and possibly minimum standards.

Borderstep contributes expertise in workshops

Borderstep also moderated parts of the accompanying stakeholder workshops within the consortium. Over 300 participants attended some of these online. The insights gained there feed directly into the political recommendations for action to the EU Commission.

Current “Facts & Figures” on the study available

To accompany the publication of the first technical report of this study, Borderstep has produced an up-to-date Facts & Figures. The overview summarises the most important results, places them in a political and technical context and visualises key figures clearly in graphs and diagrams. This allows developments and differences between the data centres to be seen at a glance.

All contents and illustrations of the Borderstep Facts & Figures are available for free use, provided the source is cited. The contents of the study are licensed under CC BY 4.0).

As part of a study commissioned by the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission, the Borderstep Institute is inviting participants to a series of workshops focusing on the sustainable design of data centres in the EU. The goal is to improve energy efficiency in EU data centers, promote the use of renewable energy, and examine the feasibility of a climate-neutral data centre sector.

The study analyzes data from the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) reporting and conducts extensive surveys and interviews with experts and operators. It evaluates existing reporting standards on the environmental impact of data centres and develops policy recommendations for the EU.

As part of the consultation activities, several workshops are being held to engage stakeholders from the data centrer industry. The next workshop is scheduled for June 18, from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM, and will take place online. Interested parties can register using the registration form.

You can find further information about the workshop series and registration on the event website.

About the study

How can data centres in the European Union become more energy-efficient and sustainable? The study aims to enhance the evaluation of data centre energy efficiency while also developing additional measures to support the creation of an EU-wide sustainability assessment framework for data centres.

Objectives of the study:

• To record and assess the sustainability of data centers in the EU
• Analysis of existing reporting standards on the environmental impact of data centers
• Develop measures to increase energy efficiency and promote renewable energies
• Investigate the feasibility of a “net zero” data center sector
• Providing recommendations for EU policy action

The study is based on an analysis of data from the EED reporting on data centres in Europe. In addition, the project team gains further insights into the sustainability and development of data centres in the EU by conducting extensive surveys, interviewing experts and operators, and evaluating existing publications. They also assess the effectiveness of current regulations and explore ways to optimise them.

Climate impact in figures: The Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability has started work on the Train4Impact project together with the start-up ImpactNexus. The aim is to support start-ups that focus on the common good in measuring and optimising their climate impact.

What is the climate impact of my business model and how can I optimise it?

Innovative tools such as the GHG & Impact Estimator, workshops and personalised advice are used to search for and find tailor-made solutions for young companies. The start-ups benefit from the Borderstep Institute’s many years of expertise and application-oriented formats.

Green start-ups could save more than 10% of German greenhouse gas emissions

The figures speak for themselves: start-ups with a focus on sustainability could save up to 73 million tonnes of CO₂e in Germany every year – a potential that accounts for more than 10% of German greenhouse gas emissions.

The project is funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (ESF Plus).

The Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability and ESCP Business School officially announce their collaboration in a new research and transfer area: Sustainable Business Models. The cooperation agreement, which was signed in early August, runs from September 2024 to August 2026 and marks the beginning of intensive joint research work that will take place under the umbrella of the Borderstep Institute and the ESCP STAR Center. Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund, Head of the Chair of Corporate Sustainability at ESCP Business School in Berlin, will lead the project.

“We measure what counts!”

The collaboration will focus on the transformation of entrepreneurial business models and how sustainable business models can be effectively supported and expanded.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter, founder and director of the Borderstep Institute, is very pleased about the cooperation with ESCP Business School and the opportunity to establish the joint research and transfer area “Sustainable Business Models” with Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund and his team. “We are pooling the excellent research expertise of Professor Lüdeke-Freund and the Borderstep Institute in the fields of sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainability innovations and impact measurement,” says Fichter. “We see ourselves as one of the global hotspots in the research of sustainable business models and the provision of know-how for the practical implementation and dissemination of sustainable entrepreneurship. Our motto: We Measure what Matters!”

Tackling future issues in concrete terms – cooperation focuses on application-oriented sustainability research

Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter and Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund have enjoyed a close scientific collaboration for over ten years, which is now being intensified and made more visible to the public. The aim of the alliance is to pool the expertise of both partners and jointly advance application-oriented sustainability research. By developing the “Sustainable Business Models” research area, the aim is to solve pressing future issues in the long term and take a leading role in research into sustainable business models.

Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund, holder of the Chair of Corporate Sustainability and co-founder of the ESCP STAR Centre, sees the cooperation as a unique opportunity for scientifically sound and practice-oriented research. “For over 20 years, the Borderstep Institute has proven with independence and foresight that it is a leader in researching and supporting sustainability innovations and sustainable entrepreneurship,” says Lüdeke-Freund. “I am delighted that we will be working together to further develop the research area of sustainable business models. Practice-oriented projects and the exchange with stakeholders from business and politics will play an important role in this.”

Borderstep and ESCP Business School are pursuing several specific goals with the alliance:

• Acquiring research funding: The partners want to jointly secure funding for research projects.
  High-ranking publications: Joint scientific articles in renowned journals are targeted.
  Transfer of science into practice: A central concern is to transfer research results into practical applications.

Initial projects and future plans

Although the official collaboration will not begin until September 2024, a joint project has already been acquired for the German Energy Agency (dena). This first project deals with business models for smart building technology and will be completed by November 2024. Further projects and transfer formats are already being planned.

ESCP Business School is an international business school with campuses in 6 major European cities – Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Turin and Warsaw. Founded in 1819, ESCP is the first business school in the world. The academic focus at the Berlin campus is on entrepreneurship, sustainability and digitalization as well as diversity and inclusion.

Together for the Edible City: How can food be grown in the city and what opportunities does this offer for start-ups and initiatives? This was the focus of the Edible Cities Network EdiCitNet project. The project was funded by the European Commission. It has been bringing cities together since 2018 to jointly implement Edible City Solutions (ECS).

Borderstep supported EdiCitNet with practical expertise from the Sustainable Entrepreneurship research area. The offer included, for example, workshops on topics relevant to start-ups for the Edible City. The spectrum ranged from basics such as financing or location search to advanced topics such as impact management or staff recruitment and retention.

Consulting for selected organizations and start-ups

The Borderstep research team also offered 1:1 consulting sessions for selected organizations and start-ups. The consulting sessions focused on specific topics such as financing from the public sector. Another focus was on basic questions about sustainable business model development or the use of the Sustainable Business Canvas or Edible City Solution Canvas.

Borderstep supported the development of the Edible Cities Network Platform

Supporting the development of the Edible Cities Network Platform was also an important area of activity. The online service sees itself as a global meeting place for sustainable urban food systems. Whether initiative or individual entrepreneur, city official or citizen – we invite everyone to become part of a collaborative network. Community members can become visible with their own profile for their region and find new partners and supporters.

Members can also benefit from the network’s experience. They can use the consulting tool to either seek advice or provide their own expertise and support. The online platform also provides the community with numerous publications, information material and videos as well as tools for design, analysis and planning free of charge.

A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “Making Cities Edible: Cultivating Sustainable Urban Environments” has also been developed. It offers interested parties the opportunity to delve deeper into the topic of edible cities.

Borderstep energy expert Severin Beucker is part of the author team of the recently published 2nd edition of Sun, Wind & Wires. Even under ‘normal’ circumstances, a two-year period would be a small eternity for an energy sector in transition. But what we have witnessed in the past two years is nothing short of a seismic shift.

In such turbulent times, it may seem daring to release a book that aims to remain relevant for years to come. But the response to the 1st edition of this book was so enthusiastic that we were inspired to release an updated version.

After all, the objective of Sun, Wind & Wires is timeless:

We hope to generate interest in the fascinating world of the energy sector and its transition, a goal better served by exploring fundamental principles than by monitoring day-to-day political developments.

These core principles are examined in the first section of this book. It incorporates updates to the original text and graphics as needed. In the second section, we highlight model solutions for a 100% renewable electricity system.

To reflect recent advancements in the energy industry, we have included a new chapter on the swiftly growing hydrogen economy. It replaces chapters that are no longer so relevant.

Book Release: Sun, Wind & Wires

We are releasing the first English and second German edition on Dec. 7th 2023.

Join this event and learn more about the project, our take-aways and the team behind it!

At the launch, the editors, designers and authors will discuss the book. And its inspirations and future opportunities to tell the story of the energy transition.

Click here for more information on the books.

The WindNODE project

The WindNODE joint project was funded by the BMWi as part of the SINTEG funding program. In 50 different sub-projects, more than 70 partners have been working on model solutions for the 100 percent renewable, smart energy system of the future. The Borderstep Institute was also on board as a science network partner.

In a joint effort between WindNODE, the Department of Energy Systems at TU Berlin and Ellery Studio, the first edition of Strom Netz Fluss was then published. A work that makes our energy world understandable to a wide audience.

Borderstep forms a research alliance with ESCP Business School’s Chair for Corporate Sustainability: With increasing sustainability awareness among consumers and industry and tightening regulation of corporate sustainability reporting and management, the question of how to assess and consider the environmental and social impacts of business activities is increasingly becoming a competitive factor. Consideration of sustainability performance and impact is thus not only a must for established companies, but must also be taken into account as early as the product and business model development stage for start-ups and young companies.

At the STARbowl event Impact Business Models: Measure What Matters!, jointly organized by ESCP Business School Berlin and Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, we shed light on how impact assessment and management can be successfully integrated into the business model development of start-ups with practitioners, academics and policy makers. STAR is ESCP’s new Sustainability Transformation & Applied Research Centre, which was founded by Professor Florian Lüdeke-Freund and Jan Ehlers in early 2023.

Borderstep has been collaborating with Professor Florian Lüdeke-Freund from ESCP for several years. Founded in 1819, the ESCP is the oldest business school in the world still in existence today. This joint STARbowl event marks the start of an important research alliance between Borderstep and ESCP in the area of sustainability.

Joint practice-oriented research projects

Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund, Professor for Corporate Sustainability at ESCP Business School Berlin and Head of the Chair, and Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter, founder and director of the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, express their vision to further advance the field of impact measurement and sustainable business model development in joint practice-oriented research projects in the future.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter, founder and director of the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability:
In our collaboration with Professor Lüdeke-Freund, we will focus on business model transformation and how impact business models can be effectively supported and scaled. Impact business models intertwine social or environmental goals with core business strategy and ensure that economic and social value creation are combined. Impact business models aim to create what we call a ‘double dividend’: an economic and a social benefit. We bring together two important but previously rather separate areas of research: sustainable business models and the assessment and measurement of business impact. With the new research alliance with ESCP, we are taking sustainable business research to the next level of excellence.

Research alliance to combine two important but yet hardly connected fields of research

Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund, Head of the Chair for Corporate Sustainability at ESCP Business School Berlin, and Academic Director of STAR:
The goal of our alliance is to combine two important but yet hardly connected fields of research. Research on sustainable business models on the one hand, and research on impact measurement and management on the other hand. There are high expectations for the positive effects of new business models on the natural environment and society. But we are lacking tools to measure and manage these effects on the level of business models. Our alliance aims at developing practically useful methods and tools that are based on cutting-edge research.

More: Interview in “The Choice” (ESCP publication) – please click here.

Event: Information & registration

Date & time: November 13, 18:00 – 21:00, registration starts at 17:00.
Venue: Forum, ESCP Business School, Campus Berlin, Heubnerweg 8-10, 14059 Berlin
Language: The event will be held in English. Participation is free of charge. The number of places is limited. First come, first served!
More information: Please click here.
RSVP: To register please click here.

Event: Agenda

17.00 | Registration

18.00 | Welcome
Words from the ESCP Berlin Dean, Prof. Frank Jacob

18:15 | Opening statements

• Professor Florian Lüdeke-Freund from ESCP Business School on Sustainable Business Models.
• Professor Klaus Fichter, Director of Borderstep Institute on Best Practices in Impact Management.
• Lucas Gerrits from the start-up ZukunftMoor will provide inspiration for the subsequent Fishbowl-Discussion and the Moving Impact Forum.

18.40 | Fishbowl-Discussion
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter, Borderstep, and Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund, ESCP

19.15 | Moving Impact Forum: Find out more and ask questions to our experts

ESCP STAR: At this table, you have a chance to learn more about ESCP’s newest impact initiative, the center’s upcoming events, programs, and activities, and enter into an exchange on topics around research transfer, new educational formats, and community building for practitioners and professionals in the sustainability and impact arena.

Facilitator: Anastasia Shevchenko, ESCP STAR

Impact Community: We will introduce the “Community for Impact Management and Measurement” (CIMM) and its mission to enhance impact competency through networking, research, knowledge transfer, and practical experimentation. We invite everyone to actively participate in building the CIMM Community, as your input and engagement are crucial to achieving our vision of advancing impact management and measurement in Germany.

Facilitator: Dr. Thomas Neumann, Borderstep Institute

Rethinking the Sustainable Business Canvas: At this table, we will discuss and evaluate the Sustainable Business Model Canvas and ask how it can be further developed and improved to serve as a collaborative tool for impact business model design.

Facilitator: Alexandra Widrat, Borderstep Institute

Estimating the CO2 reduction potential of startups: We will gain insight into the GHG & Impact Estimator, a tool designed to estimate the CO2 reduction potential of startups. Using a specific assessment case, we discuss the challenges in the context of Climate Impact Assessment.

Facilitator: Tim Grothey, Borderstep Institute

ZukunftMoor – Impact of wet peatlands: We are a startup specializing in agriculture on wet peatlands. Through the cultivation of each hectare, we annually mitigate 40 tons of CO2. Join us in discussing how we manage our impact.

Facilitator: Lucas Gerrit, Start-up ZukunftMoor

Making climate protection investable for startups: Borderstep, together with ImpactNexus and SDG Investments, is developing highly automated tools for assessing the climate protection and sustainability potential of start-ups. How can you go beyond reporting? How can you create a positive impact?

Facilitator: Dr. Constanze Trautwein, ImpactNexus (Borderstep Research Fellow)

19.45 | Closing statements

20.00 | Get together and networking

Borderstep co-founder Dr. Jens Clausen is co-author of a study on heat pumps presented by ScientistsForFuture just in time for the global climate strike. It shows in a model calculation that Germany can find a quick way out of gas dependency with this technology.

Modern heat pumps are technically mature and can be installed directly in the majority of buildings within about three days without major modifications. This saves time and, above all, costs. (Jens Clausen)

Just in time for today’s global climate strike, an analysis on the supply of heat by gas appears in the scientific magazine “Nature Communications Earth & Environment”. The study proves that replacing gas heating systems with heat pumps reduces gas consumption the fastest. An interdisciplinary team of scientists from Scientist for Future (S4F) have shown in a detailed model calculation that Germany can reduce in only three years up to 60% of the gas volume that was previously covered by Russian gas.

Problem Skills shortage

The team has calculated a viable change in heat supply and, for the first time, also relied on interviews in craft enterprises. The first problem to arise is the shortage of skilled workers. The 380,000 employees in German plumbing and heating companies install about one million heaters each year, an average of only about three heaters per employee per year. But: out of 50,000 companies, only 10 to 20 % regularly install heat pumps. An important control variable is therefore the approximately 5-day and obligatory further training for craftsmen, so that they can install the heat pumps.

According to the study, a prerequisite for the necessary speedy installation of heat pumps is the cooperation between the government, specialist companies and customers, which has already begun. The main author of the S4F study is Dr. Pietro Altermatt, head of the international energy modeling group “gpvsim”, Hannover. Political indecision is delaying climate protection, he said.

With heat pumps, we can use the virtually unlimited heat potential of the outside air instead of burning limited and expensive gas reserves. The companies need political planning security for this. (Pietro Altermatt)

He is supported by S4F member and co-author Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert from the German Institute for Economic Research.

A greatly accelerated replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps is also the right economic response to the energy crisis. We will continue to be financially burdened by fluctuating gas prices in the future.” In addition, he said, the switch offers a realistic solution “for the German government to do without long-term gas supply contracts, because these undermine the Paris climate agreement. (Claudia Kemfert)

Heat supply core energy issue

For private households, heat supply is the core energy issue. The detailed calculations of the S4F research team are based on the current state of thermal insulation in existing buildings. Radiators are also expected to remain installed in most buildings.

The critical point remains the energy issue: heat pumps need electricity and are only climate-neutral if this electricity is green. Therefore, heat pumps are in competition with other users for sustainably generated electricity. However, the study’s calculations show that despite heat pumps, enough renewable electricity remains available to continue phasing out coal and moving into e-mobility. Although some gas-fired power plants will supply electricity for heat pumps on some dark, windless days in winter, the switch will avoid gas-related emissions of more than 180 million tons of CO2 by 2025, according to the calculations.

Although the model analysis examined Germany, it is methodologically transferable to other countries.

Article published in Nature

The paper can be found at Nature Communications Earth & Environment at: Pietro Altermatt et al. (2023). „Replacing gas boilers with heat pumps is the fastest way to cut German gas consumption“.

Borderstep supports EU Commission on the topic of data centers: In the DCESS project for the European Commission, Borderstep, together with VVA Brüssel, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Prof. Catherine Banet and RP Legal & Tax, is investigating the environmental impact of data centers in close cooperation with the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technologies (CNECT). How can data centers be more effectively integrated with energy networks?

The DCESS-project is an important step towards achieving the goals of the Green Deal and the EU Commission’s Digital Decade. This is intended to drive the digital transformation of the European Union. Among other things, data centers are to become energy-efficient and climate-neutral by 2030.