BMDV hosts ‘Forum for the development of renewable fuels‘

Around 150 experts from science, industry and politics assembled for the ‘Forum for the development of renewable fuels’ on 17 September 2024 in Berlin, at the invitation of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). The goal of the event is to strengthen Germany’s pioneering role in innovative generation technologies for renewable fuels by sharing knowledge and networking.

Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport: “Germany has excellent expertise in developing renewable fuels. Numerous companies and research institutes are already working on innovative technologies and methods. We want to continue to expand this pioneering role, and today’s networking event offers us the ideal opportunity for this. Through our funding guideline on the development of regenerative fuels, we have supported 19 joint projects with a funding volume of around 117 million euros. Knowledge-sharing between project partners is one of the ways in which synergies can be exploited and new partnerships formed. The development of future-oriented renewable fuels will only succeed if research, government framework conditions and economic incentives go hand in hand.”

From development to production: projects on renewable fuels in focus
After a welcoming address by State Secretary Kluckert, representatives from science and industry discussed the role of methanol and its derivatives for aviation and shipping as well as its associated opportunities and risks in a panel discussion. A selection of projects from various BMDV funding programmes then had the opportunity to present their interim results. In joint workshops, all participants discussed the key themes of scaling of production plants, CO2 as a raw material and developments in the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

European legal framework for renewable fuels sets the forward course
With the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) in 2023, the European Union again revised upwards its targets for renewable fuels in the transport sectors. In this context, the BMDV is committing to the research and development of new and improved technologies for the manufacture of renewable fuels. The aim is to foster innovative manufacturing processes, expand production capacities and broaden the range of renewable fuels. In the long term, this will ensure that renewable fuels can play a key role in the mobility transformation – especially where long distances are concerned or heavy loads must be transported, for example by air or in shipping.

The forum was organized by NOW GmbH in cooperation with the VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH and Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V..