We have to act quickly on ecology if we don't want the future to be bleak,” says Viktor. For him, as for many young people in the generation marked by Energiewende – Germany’s energy transition in the 2000s – the 2015 Paris Agreement was the turning point. For the first time in history, the world set itself a clear and binding target to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. “In my own small way, I'm helping to improve our carbon footprint here in Braunschweig.
‘Here’ is the BS|ENERGY plant of the future where they are working on the green and renewable energy of tomorrow. As the concession operator for the city's electricity and gas networks, the company – a Veolia subsidiary – has set itself the target of pioneering a more flexible, ecological and affordable energy supply. “The city of Braunschweig used to mainly use coal for heating. Now we are helping it to make the transition to low-carbon energy.” One of these more sustainable energies is biomass. Viktor and his team head up the biggest project in the history of BS|ENERGY: to replace the coal-fired heat and power plant with a biomass cogeneration plant that will produce 22 MW of electricity and 60 MW of heat. That is the equivalent to the heating needs of about 50,000 households. The plant will be operational by winter 2022.
While innovations often spring from the minds of young creatives, Viktor too is one of those endlessly inquisitive people, never short of ideas, a Resourcer always ready to experiment and find colleagues with out-of-the-box solutions when it comes to making the energy transition a reality.
This switch to a biomass power plant really makes sense because it reflects the desire to end coal-fired energy production.
Aware that his job makes him a ‘climate protector,’ Viktor definitely feels in tune with the ecological ambitions of his generation.