The global energy hunger of the industrial nations has the consequence of a great dependency on fossil raw materials like oil, gas and coal. But those fossil raw materials are coming slowly to the end and getting so more and more expensive. Furthermore, we know by using fossil raw materials, the climate change is fostered.
The EU reaction to this problem is the Strategy Program 2020. 20 percent of the final energy consumption has to be provided by renewable sources by 2020. A great target compared to the share of 8.5 percent we have today.
One possible alternative for a future sustainable energy production could be realized by biotechnology. By using renewable raw sources in sustainable production processes, the produced bioenergy in case of biogas and bioethanol could help to reach the aims of the EU Program 2020.
Using agricultural products as resources for the bioenergy production is not uncontroversial. Many discussions are made around the “tank and plate problem”. So it’s necessary to select agricultural resources for a sustainable bioenergy production in a smart way. Together we try to figure out a sustainable and possible energy mix for future consumption.
In the action-oriented teaching modules, the production of bioethanol and biogas will be conducted innovatively out of waste materials which are not in concurrence to the food production and don’t increase the prices of food as a consequence of the competition in agricultural areas.