In the space of two years, we as a modern industrial society have had to adapt to two unforeseeable events: a pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, significant parts of our private and professional lives had to be converted to digital processes and platforms. Both nationally and internationally, this has been surprisingly successful. Working from home and homeschooling became buzzwords. It became clear that data highways suddenly became more important than traditional highways, bridges and airports. The investments made in our digital infrastructure in recent years and decades, such as broadband fiber optic networks and mobile phone masts, have more than paid off during the pandemic, enabling economic and social life to be maintained through the shift to the digital sector.

The changes in the way we work and the use of digital technology have also shown us that we as a society are capable of responding consistently to disruptive events in the short term and, above all, sustainably. It suddenly became clear that the daily commute to the workplace and many business trips are not absolutely necessary, as video conferencing and modern cloud communication software make it possible to work seamlessly regardless of where you work. For the majority of office workers, working from home has become an integral part of their lives, creating a more stress-free work-life balance in harmony with family life. In its latest study "Homeoffice Experience 2.0", the Stuttgart-based Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO concludes that the productivity of the employees surveyed has continued to increase both when working from home and in the office.

Political framework conditions and the "All Electric Society"

In its government program, the traffic light coalition has pledged to implement an "all-electric society" for Germany. There is no alternative to the expansion of renewable energies if climate neutrality is to be achieved. The ZVEI estimates that 90% of future energy requirements in Germany can be covered by wind, water, sun, biomass and hydrogen and that primary energy requirements can be reduced by 40% by 2045.

In the past, however, many mistakes were made in the expansion of renewable energies. Funding was unilaterally geared towards the generation of renewable energies. As a result, the expansion of wind and solar power plants was uncontrolled and led to intelligent smart grids coupled with storage systems without foresighted system integration. A striking example of this is the "dumping" of expensively produced wind and solar power abroad at discount prices on public holidays, as there is no power available from industry in Germany on these days.

Creating intelligent infrastructures

Politicians have recognized that it will not work without extensive investment in digital and renewable energy infrastructure. With the 750 billion euro "Next Generation" fund, a new financing facility is now available to EU countries to support the transition to a "climate-neutral, more digital and more resilient Europe". US President Biden even wants to revamp the ailing infrastructure in the US with a two trillion dollar investment program. The focus is not only on the renovation of roads and bridges, but also on the transformation of the USA towards a sustainable economy and the massive expansion of renewable energies. During the "Zeitenwende" debate in the German Bundestag, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner even used the term "freedom dividend" in connection with the necessary investments in an energy economy away from fossil fuels.