About PtX Lab Lausitz
The ‘PtX Lab Lausitz – Think and Do Tank for Fuels and Basic Materials from Green Hydrogen’ is developing the technical basis for the market ramp-up of environmentally friendly and sustainable production and use of Power-to-X (PtX) products based on green hydrogen. It analyses the entire value chain of relevant technologies and industries, examines their resource efficiency and integrates them into the circular economy. The competence centre, located in Cottbus (Brandenburg), is a knowledge platform, initiator and point of contact for industry and politics, science and the public.
Power-to-X for the transport and chemical transition
Germany wants to become climate-neutral by 2045 – to achieve this, it is crucial that all sectors of the economy are transformed. This is where Power-to-X (PtX) comes in: PtX technology uses electricity (‘power’) from renewable energies to produce green hydrogen and, from this, sustainable fuels and raw materials (‘X’). These are crucial for sectors such as the chemical industry or aviation and shipping.
Lusatia in transition: from a coal-based to a post-fossil energy region
Both the establishment of the PtX Lab Lausitz and the construction of a PtX pilot plant in Lusatia are provided for in the Coal Regions Investment Act (InvKG). Lusatia offers suitable conditions as a location for the plant. The high proportion of renewable energies and the geographical proximity to companies in the aviation industry already make Lusatia a pioneer of the energy transition, which is currently undergoing a transformation from a former coal-based to a post-fossil energy region. The construction of a pilot plant for the production of PtL fuels on an industrial scale will equip the industrial region for the future, secure jobs and support the structural change.
Pilot plant for renewable jet fuel in Lusatia
The Lusatian competence centre is supporting the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) with the expression of interest and funding process for the construction of a PtL demonstration plant in Lusatia. To ensure the demonstration character of the plant, PtX Lab Lausitz will also work together with the funding recipient on a content-related basis.
Structure of the PtX Lab Lausitz
The PtX Lab Lausitz, opened in Cottbus in March 2021, is a division of the Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH on behalf of the BMWK. It promotes the sustainable structural development of the region. The interdisciplinary team includes experts from the fields of economics, natural and engineering sciences, (international) law and social sciences. The principle of sustainability is at the centre of efforts to establish new PtX technologies and business models.