Honestly, this is our future

To transform the energy system we need to transform the way we think.?We need new, fresh and diverse ideas.?We are fortunate to have outstanding young thinkers in every corner of the world. Let’s meet three of them.?

“We have to decarbonize our world step by step, and as a team”?

Though they live in different parts of the world and have different interests, Xuqian Yan, Haoran Zhang and Marina Reis are united by the strong responsibility they feel to meet the challenge of climate change.?The same energy and excitement at developing solutions is evident when they speak; it’s their generation’s future, and they share a no-excuses, ‘failure is not an option’ determination to make it better.

It’s also clear that they feel part of a team – both as colleagues and through the partnerships established with other organizations to bring about real change.?“Teamwork is the key to winning,” remarks Haoran, a keen basketball player.

”We’re thinking beyond our own company and our own country to achieve a greater shared goal.” This mindset feels new and different to the approach of previous generations.?”It’s the only way to deal with a global crisis; it demands that a global team competes side by side to find solutions that really have an impact.”

“We as human beings are responsible for the climate crisis – and the only ones that can stop that are us.”?

Haoran Zhang

?Not just challenges but opportunities?

“I actually studied environmental science for my first degree,” says Xuqian, “but I made the switch to the world of energy since it’s often the root cause for environmental issues.?The energy industry may have been seen as the problem in the past, but now it has to be a big part of the solution.”

On a personal level, Xuqian saw that the energy sector offers her the opportunity to change the future and make a real contribution to sustainability.

Currently she is working on hydrogen solutions in Munich, Germany – specifically, on diagnostic tools designed to optimize the performance of an electrolysis system called Silyzer which can use wind or solar energy to produce green hydrogen for fuels.?“Hydrogen will play a huge role in the energy transition.?It’s taking off as the power of the present and of the future, because using it as a fuel generates no CO2 or air pollution.?Our megawatt range electrolyzer plants around the world are already bringing benefits to the steel and transport industries, for example.”

Not that hydrogen technology is a silver bullet when it comes to transforming our complex energy system, she is aware.?Colleagues are working on other developments, including even more efficient gas turbines and hydrogen-readiness today.?“Honestly, we can’t wait for the perfect universal solution; we have to start making a difference now.”

But it’s hydrogen that occupies most of Xuqian’s professional thinking, since this new way of generating and storing energy is set to expand massively and reshape whole infrastructures in the coming years.?Long-term storage and transportation solutions need to be developed, given the intermittence and uneven distribution of renewable sources – which demands broad collaboration.

“We need others to come on this journey with us,” says Xuqian.?“Mutual respect and a common ambition are essential.”

“A single technology is not a silver bullet when it comes to transforming our complex energy system.”?

Xuqian Yan

Great things in store??

In Beijing, China, engineering planner Haoran Zhang is playing a major part on that journey.

?“Many people aren’t aware that renewable energy can be stored,” he explains.?“But the fact is that the development of large-scale storage tech can lead the transition of energy consumption.”??

Haoran worked on the Compressed Air Energy Storage project.?This system is able to store renewable energy such as wind and solar power in the form of compressed air – which eliminates the risk of a sudden explosion – and then releases it to meet peak-time demand.?

“The compressors which our team works on can capture and utilize large amounts of CO2,” he points out.?“Again, this contributes to achieving decarbonization targets – and the constant improvements we’re making to the manufacturing process and to the energy efficiency of the compressors further reduce carbon emissions.”?

For Haoran, it’s absolutely imperative that decarbonisation is achieved.?“There’s no getting away from it – we share the same destiny with our nature.”?

Taking a balanced view?

Nature is also constantly in the thoughts of Marina, an application engineer working in S?o Paulo, Brazil.?For her, nature represents the balance everyone is searching for – and the way to repair the damage which human activity has inflicted is to learn from nature and combine this knowledge with technology.?“Nature has all the answers we need, and by using these answers, we can develop the sustainable technological solutions that will help us tackle climate change”, she comments.

On a personal level, Marina continues her search for balance by practising yoga.?She incorporates sustainability into her daily life and sees her role with Siemens Energy as an important way to contribute to global decarbonization.

Like Xuqian and Haoran, Marina works on decarbonization solutions, which can be applied also to the transport sector. The Haru Oni project in Chile is a prime example for this.?“We’re working with partners to generate synthetic fuel from wind, water and CO2 captured from the air.”

The process, she explains, can be seen as an artificial form of the photosynthesis carried out by plants.?“It’s essentially the same thing that plants do.”?

And like her colleagues, Marina sees the transformation in the energy system as non-negotiable: “I cannot deal with the idea that humans destroy everything. ?We can do better. ?And we have to. ?We have to restore the balance of the planet. ?This doesn’t happen by waving a magic wand.?It’s hard work.?But it’s great to see that it’s achievable with technologies that are already available today.”??

“All the problems could have more simple solutions if we learn from nature.”?

Marina Reis

Different personalities, jobs and continents. But all three have one shared goal and the same clear-sighted honesty about their responsibility to help drive forward the transformation the world needs. Through the attitude and personal energy they bring to our team, they are making tomorrow different today.

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