“A world without fossil fuels will be a better one”
JARA-ENERGY member Prof. Dirk Uwe Sauer on opportunities, urgency and responsibility in the energy transition
In the RWTH Aachen interview series “Big Questions”, JARA-ENERGY scientist Prof. Dirk Uwe Sauer discusses the essential shift towards a climate-neutral energy supply. Central to the conversation is the question of why we can no longer afford to delay this transformation. The battery systems expert and head of the CARL Research Centre at RWTH Aachen University explains that moving away from fossil fuels is not only an ecological necessity but also an economic opportunity.
In the interview, Sauer outlines how research and technology – from battery storage and bidirectional charging to hydrogen systems – form the foundation of a stable, renewable energy system. He emphasises the importance of clear political frameworks and the courage to implement existing solutions consistently. “The energy transition is no longer a technical problem – it is a matter of taking action,” Sauer says.
He is convinced that a world without fossil fuels will not only be cleaner and fairer but also more economically stable. For Sauer, the energy transition represents far more than the restructuring of the energy sector: it is a societal transformation project that opens up new perspectives for future generations.
The full interview with Prof. Dirk Uwe Sauer is available on the website of RWTH Aachen University: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/root/wir/aktuell/pressemitteilungen/oktober-2025/~bqlutk/-eine-welt-ohne-fossile-energietraeger-w/?lidx=1