Program

Net Zero Valleys in exchange with politics, business & science

June 24: Conference Day

Lusatia is the EU’s first Net Zero Valley, a region offering advantages for clean industry. On the first day of the Decarbon Days, the three other German valleys, as well as representatives from Spain and Poland, will also gather here. Together with key decision-makers from the EU, federal and state levels, as well as the business and science, they will explore new framework conditions for the expansion of clean industry.

Net Zero Valley Meeting (Moderator: Carl Hans Ulrich Helzer)

08.30 | Entrance
09.00 | Welcome to BOOMTOWN Cottbus and the Lausitz region – Germany’s most dynamic city and Europe’s first Net Zero Valley
Dr Christian Ehler (MEP for Brandenburg, Chair of the Decarbon Days Programme Board), Jens Warnken (President of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce) & Tobias Schick (Mayor of Cottbus)
09.10 | Introduction & statement: Net Zero Valley Lusatia fan club
Janet Jurk (Chair of Pro Lausitz e.V.) & Sebastian Bubner (Managing Director of Business Council Peitz)
09.15 | Virtual keynote: Net Zero Valleys – the EU’s new hotspots for clean industry
Kerstin Jorna (EU Director-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs / DG GROW)
09.25 | Insights from the industry: Expectations for net-zero regions
Anne Francken (Managing Director of BASF InfraService & Solutions Lausitz GmbH), Dennis Schwindt (CEO of HMS Bergbau AG) & Dr Jörn Matschke (Managing Director of Actemium BEA GmbH)
09.40 | Panel: The four German Net Zero Valley regions
Dr Maria Marquardt (responsible for implementing Net Zero Valley Lausitz), Nikolaus Jansen (coordinator for NetZero Nordwest / Net Zero Valley Lower Saxony), Elke Hohmann (Head of Project Development, Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier / Responsible for the Rheinisches Revier’s Net Zero Valley application) & Steffen Volk (Head of Clean Energy Valley Schleswig-Holstein and Coordinator of Net Zero Valley Schleswig-Holstein)
10.30 | Keynote: Local value creation through transformation and European networking
Kirsten Dunlop (CEO of Climate KIC)
10.40 | Panel: Expectations for a European Net Zero Valley concept
Alana Rawlins (Head of Strategic Foresight & International Relations, Basque Energy Agency), Montse Guerrero (Deputy Director General of the Regional Development Agency for Navarra, SODENA), Alfred Middelkamp (Team Lead for Energy Systems, Industry and Hydrogen at the Province of Drenthe), Mats Brandt (Regional Director for Ostrobothnia, Finland), Kirsten Dunlop (CEO of Climate KIC) & TBA (representative from Poland)
11.30 | Panel: Realising concrete benefits for Net Zero Valleys
Daniel Gerber (Policy Officer, Net Zero Industry Act, DG GROW, EU), Luka Marie Sauer (Policy Officer Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) & Jens Warnken (President of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
12.10 | Presentation of the follow-up workshops

To the ticket shop

Active Break

Workshops/Seminars

13.00 - 14.15 | Options for decarbonizing industry

DLR Institute for CO₂-Efficient Industrial Processes:

The decarbonization of industry is crucial to achieving emissions targets. In 2024, CO₂ emissions from the industrial sector will amount to approximately 153 million tons, which corresponds to about 25% of Germany’s total CO₂ emissions.
However, decarbonizing this sector is a challenge due to the wide variety of processes involved. In some cases, electrification is a viable solution, but sector-specific approaches are often required. The workshop will present examples from various sectors and explain the available options for different process temperatures.

Speaker: Dr. Frederico Gomes Fonseca (Researcher at German Aerospace Center (DLR) – Institute of CO₂-Efficient Industrial Processes)
interactive expert workshop (max. 12 participants)

13.00 - 14.15 | Digital tools for businesses to reduce their CO2 emissions

The Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster (CDI) presents: the online tool “Process Heat Transformation Pathways”

The Industrial Decarbonisation Cluster is a cross-sector network of industrial companies, associations and research institutions based in Lusatia that supports the industry’s transition to climate neutrality by acting as a source of ideas and a multiplier.

In the workshop, it will present its freely available online tool “Process Heat Transformation Pathways” and guide participants step by step through its use. The tool helps companies identify energy efficiency potential and derive concrete measures for low-emission process heat. Thanks to its intuitive and user-friendly design, it offers a low barrier to entry and is therefore particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Speakers: Madeleine Henning-Waniek (Head of the CDI Coordination Office) & Matthias Heck (Cluster and Network Management, CDI)

The Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Infrastructure and Geotechnologies (IEG) presents: “Large-scale Heat Pump Information Portal” for greater market transparency and planning certainty for process heat

Fraunhofer IEG is part of the Fraunhofer Society, one of the leading organisations for application-oriented research. It is shaping the climate-neutral energy systems of the future and, together with its partners, develops ideas from concept to implementation for sustainable process heat supply, secure heating networks and affordable energy supply for neighbourhoods.

The large-scale heat pump information portal developed by Fraunhofer IEG for the Hesse State Energy Agency (LEA) supports businesses and local authorities in selecting suitable solutions through a dynamic database featuring technical parameters, maturity levels and a market overview. Supplementary tools such as COP and CO₂ calculators, as well as direct manufacturer contacts, facilitate evaluation and implementation. In this way, the portal creates greater transparency in a complex market and lowers the barriers to entry for the use of large-scale heat pumps in industry and heating networks.

Speakers: Dr Thorsten Spillmann (Strategy and Business Development, Fraunhofer IEG) & Fabian Ahrendts (Head of the Competence Centre for Thermal Energy Systems, Fraunhofer IEG)

13.00 - 15.00 | Hydrogen networks & green kerosene – practical projects in Lusatia

Entwicklungsgesellschaft Niederschlesische Oberlausitz mbH (ENO) & Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK):

Moderators: Ina Maria Kwiatkowski (ENO Görlitz) & Jens Krause (IHK Cottbus)

– the ramp-up of green kerosene production in Lusatia: Chuma Francis Kanis (Operations Director, HY2GEN)
– presentation of the H₂ Network East: Jörn-Heinrich Tobaben (Metropolregion Mitteldeutschland Management GmbH)
– ONTRAS H₂ network conversion projects: Tino Falley (H₂ Program Management, ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH)
– ENERTRAG PtX projects: Dr Peter Agoston (Head of the 1G-P Heat/Hydrogen/Battery Group at ENERTRAG)

13.00 – 15.30 | Structural change and the economy in Lusatia – opportunities for German-Polish cooperation

MinGenTec, Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Spree-Neiße-Bober Euroregion & Europe Direct Guben:

Moderator: Dr. Christina Eisenberg (Project Manager, MinGenTec, Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce)
Opening: Dr. Christian Ehler (MEP for Brandenburg), Czeslaw Fiedorowicz (President Euroregion Spree-Neiße-Bober / Sprewa-Nysa-Bobr) & Carsten Jacob (Managing Director Euroregion Spree-Neiße-Bober / Sprewa-Nysa-Bobr)

– structural change in Lusatia – between targeted support and comprehensive debureaucratization: Dr. Christian Ehler (MEP for Brandenburg)
– Net Zero Valley Lusatia – a brief introduction: Dr. Maria Marquardt (Project Manager, City of Cottbus)
– funding through the Lusatia Program – an overview of the implementation status: Sebastian Sammt (Project Manager, Lusatia Economic Region)

break

panel discussion: charting our own course in the context of (structural) change
– keynote – The KARR Region, pathways to climate neutrality: Hubert Papaj (Managing Director KARR Region)
– keynote – Opportunities for Cross-Border Cooperation Among SMEs in the Field of Environmentally Friendly Aerospace: Prof. Marek Banaszkiewicz (Advisor to the Management Board Management Board of Space Technology Park in Zielona Góra, PTK)
– additional panelists: Dr. Christian Ehler, Dr. Maria Marquardt & Sebastian Sammt

13.30 - 16.00 | From Shared Interest to Shared System: Designing Net Zero Valley Innovation Ecosystems for Lead Markets

Exclusive workshop with Climate KIC. Attendance by invitation only.

14.30 - 15.45 | What do we really know? Measuring the impact of air travel on the climate

DLR Institute of Electrified Aviation Propulsion:

Guided by the principle “You cannot improve what you do not measure,” the following questions will be addressed:

1. Which climate impacts of aviation are currently captured by regulations?
2. What data must currently be measured and reported?
3. Which impacts are still insufficiently quantified?
4. Why are better measurements a prerequisite for effective decarbonization?

Speaker: Dr.-Ing. habil. Judith Rosenow (Head of the “Environmental Impacts and Sustainability” Group at the DLR Institute of Electrified Aviation Propulsion)
interactive expert workshop (max. 12 participants)

14.30 - 16.00 | Municipal transformation

Discussions on local energy transition solutions for representatives from local authorities, municipal utilities, the building sector and SMEs

Meeting with the Climate Tech Hub innovation network, which focuses on the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region and connects young companies nationwide and their innovative technological solutions with local authorities and partners in the region – as well as the Komm:Transform initiative, which connects market-ready start-ups with local partners and facilitates joint projects. The network’s focus is on providing local authorities and other local stakeholders with access to energy transition innovations – some of which are little known – and market-ready solutions.

Highly relevant for energy transition projects in local authorities and municipal utilities, and aimed primarily at local stakeholders with a focus on heating, buildings & energy management, mobility, electricity & batteries, resources & the circular economy, and reducing bureaucracy.

15.00 - 16.00 | Transformation skills

Service Center for Industrial Transformation in the Regions:

Your Region. Your Industry. Your Perspective. – What transformation skills are needed to shape change, and how can these skills be developed?

Speaker: Dr. Marc Bovenschulte

Net Zero Tours

13.00 - 15.00 | Science-Park-Tour

Starting point: ZHG
Stops: Labs at the Energy Innovation Center (EIZ) + abandoned sites in the Lausitz Science Park (LSP)
Equipment: Rental bikes, possibly hard hats
Number of participants: max. 20 people

Guides: Susann Peplowsky (EIZ) & Kamila Lelo (LSP)

13.00 - 15.00 | Science-City-Tour

Starting point: designated Campus bus stop (see day programme)
Stops: World-record-breaking Cobra large-scale heat pump (DLR Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes), a research facility housing over 100 systems (chesco) and the Fraunhofer IEG Digilab

13.00 - 16.00 | Industry Tour – Schwarze Pumpe Spremberg Industrial Park

Start: designated Campus bus stop (see day programme)
Stops: Insights into the Schwarze Pumpe industrial park during the journey + Hamburger Containerboard Spremberg paper mill and substitute fuel power station, and a walk around the Circ Econ circular economy research campus construction site
Number of participants: max. 50 people

Guide: Christoph Menzel (Project Lead PtX ENERTRAG)

Notice: Limited places – booking required

Booking: Workshop & Tours

Net Zero Innovation Summit (Moderator: Dr. Nora Baum)

16.30 | Opening remarks: Transformation requires innovation
Adi Roesch (Chairman of the Board of LEAG) & Prof. Dr Gesine Grande (President of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg)
16.40 | Digital Welcome Message – Net Zero Valleys: Innovation Hubs of the European Green Deal
Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission)
16.45 | Movin Zero: Connecting Lusatia and Brussels via Energy & Bike – powered by LEAG
Emma Hinze (12-time world cycling champion, 2-time Olympic medallist), Julian Noel (extreme sportsman & Greenfield Business Developer at LEAG) & Max Bränzel (entrepreneur from Lusatia and aspiring Ironman)
16.55 | Startup Stage: new innovations in decarbonisation – powered by EIZ SPARK & INAM
5 startups in contest
17.30 | Keynote: Innovation through net-zero technologies in the EU and Germany – Opportunities for Net Zero Valleys
Michiel Scheffer (President of the European Innovation Council)
17.45 | Impetus: Best Practice: Net Zero Basque Industrial Super Cluster
María San Salvador del Valle (Coordinator of the Net-Zero Basque Industrial Super Cluster)
17.55 | Lead Panel: Framework conditions for greater innovation and value creation in Net Zero Valleys
Michiel Scheffer (President of the European Innovation Council), Dr Beate Baron (Head of the Industrial Policy Division at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), Dr Christian Ehler (MEP for Brandenburg), Montse Guerrero (Deputy Director General of SODENA, the Regional Development Agency for Navarre) & Lucie Töpfer (cleantech entrepreneur / Founder and CEO of pyropower GmbH)
18.50 | Impetus: Networked innovation as the fourth pillar for strengthening the Net Zero Valleys
TBA (Climate KIC)
19.00 | Final and awarding of the Female Energy Award powered by enviaM
with Lucie Töpfer (curator, co-founder of pyropower GmbH) and the finalists Sophie Apel (founder and CEO of AVALY), Iva Jukić (managing director of Cero Erneuerbare Energien GmbH) & Tina Barroso (Berlin site manager at Conexio-PSE)
19.30 | Closing remarks and networking
with TobiplaysPiano & Clara Valerie

To the ticket shop

Curated Program

The program is assessed by an independent board of trustees:

cleantech comes to life

June 25: Talent Day

Free admission, by and for students and pupils. The second day of Decarbon Days invites you to exchange ideas on a wide range of topics related to our green future. Students will give insights into their studies with projects, develop the clean start-ups of tomorrow in teams and companies will present perspectives in an interactive exhibition and a talent exchange. This will be accompanied by other activities and a campus party to round off the event.

All Day

Job Market, Techmile & interactive exhibition
… from our over 40 partners

Stage Programme

09.00 | Entrance
09.30 | Impetus for decarbonisation and industrial transformation
Prof. Dr. Roh Pin Lee (Professor of Decarbonization and Industrial Transformation BTU)
09.45 | Presentation of science-videos
BTU students (Department of Decarbonization and Industrial Transformation)
10.00 | Decarbon Drafts: presentation of final theses on topics related to decarbonization
10 BTU graduates
10.30 | Partner event: FEM*Lights – Closing event of the Female Professors Programme III
Opening: Manja Schüle (Minister for Science, Research and Culture, Brandenburg) & Gesine Grande (President of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg)
Salon talk with the professors: Stefanie Kiwi Menrath, Juliane Noack Napoles, Melanie Jaeger-Erben & Johanna Blokker
Presentation of the projects: Geek Girls, STEM Women’s Network, “GENial” project funding, FEM*Vision Mentoring & Visionärinnen*Salon
13.00 | Green Hackathon ‘Climathon’ finale with live-pitches
10 student teams from BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the University of Zielona Góra
15.30 | TESLA Masterclass
Robert Meyer (Senior Manager Cell Manufacturing Tesla Grünheide)

Workshops, Tours and more

10.30 - 11.30 | Workshop: transformation skills