Finding a balance between energy supply security and climate change

The world is experiencing a turning point in international economic and energy policy – one that brings with it rising energy prices, disrupted supply chains and a major impact on global industrial production. At the same time, a growing number of manufacturers are doing their part to combat climate change. The world needs speedy solutions in this area: political, economic and technological. HANNOVER MESSE 2022 is the ideal setting.

From 30 May to 2 June, some 2,500 companies display their technologies for the factories and energy systems of the future at the Hannover Exhibition Center. Under the lead theme of “Industrial Transformation”, they demonstrate how connected production facilities can operate more efficiently and conserve resources as well as how to generate and transmit energy sustainably.

“In view of the current global political situation, the topics at HANNOVER MESSE are more relevant than ever,” reported Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe, at the HANNOVER MESSE preview event. “At the heart of the matter is how we can ensure security of supply and growth in a dynamically changing world – politically, environmentally and economically – while counteracting climate change. Innovative technologies will play a key role in this,” he added.

Exhibiting companies include corporations like Siemens, Bosch, Schneider Electric, Schaeffler, Microsoft, SAP and Service Now, joined by numerous medium-sized industrial enterprises such as Beckhoff, Festo, Harting, Pepperl+Fuchs, Phoenix Contact, Wago and Ziehl-Abegg. Accompanying them are major research institutes like Fraunhofer and Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) as well as roughly 100 startups that find HANNOVER MESSE an ideal platform for networking with industry.

Green energies and hydrogen – driving supply security and climate protection
When it comes to CO2-neutral production and energy security in Europe, renewable energies and green hydrogen play a key role. Many companies already lead the way with concrete solutions. For example, HANNOVER MESSE exhibitor Bosch created a hydrogen cycle at its Industrie 4.0 facility that produces green hydrogen for industrial processes.

Because of the current energy supply debate, the topic of hydrogen is gaining further importance at HANNOVER MESSE. “We have offered the largest European platform for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry for years. In Hannover, more than 200 companies – including Iberdrola, Saint Gobain, Emerson, ElringKlinger, Plug Power, Siemens, Phoenix Contact, Enapter, Bosch, Hexagon Purus, Nel Hydrogen, Hydrogenious and GP Joule – present solutions for a sustainable energy supply based on hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources,” said Köckler.

Using digitalization, automation and AI to help combat climate change
Europe is striving to become climate-neutral by the middle of the millennium. More and more companies have set ambitious goals and are in the process of completely converting their production and services. HANNOVER MESSE exhibitors supply the necessary technologies.

Not only can the production of virtually all goods be made more resource-conserving and energy-efficient with the help of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, but solutions from mechanical and plant engineering, electrical engineering, and the software and IT industry can also vastly improve the control processes of complex systems, thus boosting innovation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions around the world.

Recording the CO2 footprint across entire supply chains is often the first step towards climate neutrality. HANNOVER MESSE exhibitor Siemens has developed software that captures emissions data along the supply chain and combines this with data from the company’s own value chain to determine a product’s actual carbon footprint.

Economic policy platform plus Partner Country Portugal
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Portugal’s Prime Minister António Costa will jointly open HANNOVER MESSE. This year, Portugal is the Partner Country of the world’s foremost industrial trade fair.

More than 120 companies from Partner Country Portugal have registered for HANNOVER MESSE 2022. Under the motto “Portugal Makes Sense”, they present their products and solutions for digital transformation, the energy transition and reliable supply chains.

Other political dignitaries, such as Frans Timmermanns, Vice President of the European Commission, and Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research, have also confirmed their attendance. This means that after a two-year “coronavirus break”, HANNOVER MESSE once again provides an international stage for economic policy discourse. According to Köckler, “At the end of May, the global industrial community will be looking to Hannover. This year in particular, HANNOVER MESSE 2022 can send economic policy signals and build bridges.”

In addition to the exhibits at the show, attendees can look forward to a first-rate supporting program. The four conference stages cover topics like automation, cloud and infrastructure, analytics and data management, digital platforms, robotics, IT security, artificial intelligence, renewable energies, green hydrogen, energy-efficient and CO2-neutral production, digital energy management, the circular economy and much more. The complete program will not only be available to visitors on-site, but will also stream simultaneously via the HANNOVER MESSE website.