We need honesty over the end cost of net zero say Siemens Energy bosses

Open dialogue ‘drives hunger to invent better things’, according to Ariel Porat and Christoph Schuette.

Can Europe’s transition to net zero be accelerated while at the same time ensuring energy security, affordability and sustainability?

Yes, say Ariel Porat and Christoph Schuette of Siemens Energy… but it’s going to need collaboration, innovation… and a direct openness with consumers about the resulting price of goods.

“We need a discussion with the end users,” explains Porat. “A refrigerator made from ‘green’ steel will cost more than refrigerators made from the steel we know today. We need an honest dialogue to educate and take everyone with us.”

For more insights from Ariel Porat and Christoph Schuette, join the next Europe Energy Talks

This call for honesty also chimes with Porat’s belief that when it comes to delivering the energy transition, “technology is not the issue. What makes a difference is people – collaboration between people.

“If we don't have open dialogues about everything and what it actually means, that it's going to be very challenging. But if people understand, they have this hunger to invent better things and cooler things… which will lead us there even faster.

In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Porat and Schuette, head of Hub Europe and Managing Director of Siemens Energy Germany respectively, also address several hot topics including:

• How the rollout of green hydrogen and expansion of renewables depends not on technology, but on infrastructure and supply chain mechanisms;
• Why much of the potential for energy efficiency in buildings and industry remains untapped;
• And what role energy storage must play in enabling greater renewable integration.

Watch the full video interview, recorded during Enlit on the Road Berlin, to get these questions answered.

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