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Germany 2050: For the first time Germany reached a balance between its sources of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere and newly created anthropogenic sinks. This backcasting study presents a fictional future in which this goal was achieved by avoiding (similar to 645 Mt CO2), reducing (similar to 50 Mt CO2) and removing (similar to 60 Mt CO2) carbon emissions. This meant substantial transformation of the energy system, increasing energy efficiency, sector coupling, and electrification, energy storage solutions including synthetic energy carriers, sector-specific solutions for industry, transport, and agriculture, as well as natural-sink enhancement and technological carbon dioxide options. All of the above was necessary to achieve a net-zero CO2 system for Germany by 2050.Plain Language Summary Here a net-zero-2050 Germany is envisioned by combining analysis from an energy-system model with insights into approaches that allow for a higher carbon circularity in the German system, and first results from assessments of national carbon dioxide removal potentials. A back-casting perspective is applied on how net-zero Germany could look like in 2050. We are looking back from 2050, and analyzing how Germany for the first time reached a balance between its sources of CO2 to the atmosphere and the anthropogenic sinks created. This would consider full decarbonization in the entire energy sector and being entirely emission-free by 2050 within three priorities identified as being the most useful strategies for achieving net-zero: (a) Avoiding- (b) Reducing- (c) Removing emissions. This work is a collaboration of interdisciplinary scientists with the Net-Zero-2050 cluster of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative HI-CAM.

A newly developed composite material has been explored based on metal hydrides in combination with polymers enriched with highly porous carbon. As metal hydride, a RHC (reactive hydride composite) was chosen (e.g., MgH2 + 2 LiBH4). The hydride is infiltrated into the pores of the porous carbon suppressing the long-range phase separation of the two different hydrides by nano-confinement. The aim is to maintain fast kinetics and achieve cycle stability of the RHC (reactive hydride composite). The combination of RHC and porous carbon is then integrated into a polymer film to allow an easy and safe handling of the material. To produce a storage system out of such a film, the thin material is rolled in the same style like a rolled membrane module; i.e., it is rolled together with a thin spacer (e.g., steel mesh) allowing an easy hydrogen access to all parts of the membrane. The last step is the implementation of the rolled storage module into the tank shell. To analyze different design concepts and the behavior of this newly developed composite storage material, extensive FEM-simulations have been realized for different cooling structures. The latter is necessary to fulfil the thermodynamic requirements and to maximize the speed of hydrogen storage. Therefore, the temperature development within the storage during hydrogen feeding are investigated. Beside this, the hydrogen flow as well as the kinetics of the chemical reaction are analyzed. Based on such extensive simulations of different design concepts, the most promising overall storage systems are developed and systematically optimized. Finally, the total hydrogen content of the overall storage system is calculated and compared between different design concepts. Based on this, conclusions are drawn about robust criteria how to construct a cooling and heating device for this new storage material. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung