Future energy: Students discover innovative ideas in the laboratory!

Future energy: Students discover innovative ideas in the laboratory!

On September 10, 2025, 9th grade students from the Bert Brecht High School in Dortmund took part in the “Energy of Our Life” project workshop in the Alfried Krupp student laboratory at the Ruhr University. The workshop, led by teacher training students Thu Trang Tran and Sascha Carstens, was prepared in advance in a block seminar and aims to give the students a deeper understanding of energy in their everyday lives.

The project is part of the Science year 2025, which deals with the topic of future energy. In this context, the challenges and opportunities of future energy supply are discussed. The workshop is intended to encourage students to develop their own positive visions of the future with regard to energy consumption and production. The pleasant, interactive atmosphere promotes discussions about the future visions of fictional characters at round tables.

Practical approaches to the energy transition

During a creative break, students had the opportunity to build models of wind turbines, solar roofs and other energy sources using Lego bricks. At the end of the day, a large, colorful Lego vision landscape was created on the group tables that embodied the participants' different ideas and approaches.

The “Energy of Our Lives” project is not just a one-off event, but part of a comprehensive year of science that addresses urgent questions about future energy supplies. The demand for energy is growing worldwide, and limited resources and climate change represent significant challenges. This is also highlighted by the initiative Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), which, together with “Science in Dialogue” (WiD), is organizing numerous events, projects and actions as part of the 2025 Science Year.

The role of hydrogen in the energy future

An important aspect within this discussion is the use of hydrogen. The exhibit “Fascination with Hydrogen” by the Fraunhofer Society, which is also actively involved in the Science Year, shows how hydrogen can contribute to climate protection and the energy transition. Hydrogen has the potential to store excess energy and be converted into electricity without producing any pollutants, which is of central importance for the energy transition.

Fraunhofer ISE emphasizes that the effective use of hydrogen requires renewable energies, efficient technologies and suitable infrastructure. This reflects the core of the Science Year: to strive for a **secure, cost-efficient and sustainable energy supply** that focuses not only on current technologies, but also on future developments.

Overall, the 2025 Science Year shows how important it is to continue to propagate and discuss energy research topics. Young people like the workshop participants are crucial to developing and implementing innovative ideas that can enable a sustainable energy future.