all projects

Climate path
implementation in
Baden-Württemberg

Client

Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BWIHK)

Year

2024


Businesses in Baden-Württemberg have already adopted a range of climate protection measures in recent years. Nevertheless, greenhouse gas emissions remain high. The reason: efficiency-enhancing measures are veiled by increased production. 

By 2030, CO2 emissions from industry in Baden-Württemberg are to be reduced by a further 23 percent – which corresponds to double the previous annual rate of reduction. On behalf of the Baden-Württembergischer Industrie- und Handelskammertag (BWIHK), Prognos investigated what businesses and political actors will need to as soon as possible to achieve this goal.

Businesses need support on the path to transformation

Many companies need information and support to equip them to address the challenges of climate neutrality. These two key issues particularly concerned:

  • What specific measures are required in the various sectors to achieve climate goals?
  • How quickly will they need to be implemented?

Various levers to achieve climate goals

Prognos examined the key levers that can be used to achieve the goals and developed a time frame for when they can be tackled. In addition to energy efficiency and renewable energies, this includes established and new low-greenhouse gas or neutral production technologies, as well as a strategic approach and cooperation between the various actors.

The most important company-specific recommendations for action that will be relevant before 2030 are:

  • efficiency first
  • expanding district and environmental heating as well as solar thermal energy
  • constructing furnaces for solid biogenic fuels
  • initiating the (intelligent) electrification of process heat supply
  • implementing an energy audit and EMS measures, short-term
  • driving waste heat usage
  • installing heat pumps and using district heating in non-residential buildings
  • insulating non-residential buildings
  • strengthening secondary routes 

In addition, the study develops further company-related recommendations for action that will be significant for the subsequent goal of a climate-neutral economy and whose planning should begin well before 2030:

  • deep geothermal energy
  • use of green hydrogen as fuel
  • carbon separation at cement clinker and lime plants
  • considering flexibility and storage options

The transformation costs for companies will amount to around ten billion euros by 2030 and a further nine billion euros by 2040. In contrast, savings in energy costs will be around nine billion euros by 2030 and a further almost 35 billion euros by 2040. The conclusion: transformation will require intensive efforts from all actors, but it can succeed.

Our approach

Prognos implemented a multi-stage investigation concept: a total of three modules are devoted to the set of figures for the climate paths in Baden-Württemberg, the challenges of transformation as well as the subsequent options for action that will support transformation. The 25 recommendations for action derived from the findings were categorised in terms of their target group (sectors), transformation lever, relevance, degree of ambition, and the field of action (instruments, policy). These group- and stakeholder-specific recommendations support companies in their transformation to a low-emission economy and prevent undesirable developments by avoiding stranded investments.

Links and downloads

To the study (PDF in German)

More information on the BWIHK website (in German)

Project team: Dr Almut Kirchner, Paurnima Kulkarni, Dr Fabian Muralter, Dr Alexander Piégsa

Latest update: 16.01.2024

Do you have questions?

Your contact at Prognos

Dr Almut Kirchner

Partner, Director

View profile

Dr Alexander Piegsa

Senior Expert Models & Industry

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