Prof. Dr.-Ing. Michael Sterner

Job Title: Professor of Energy Storage and Energy Systems
Company: OTH Regensburg Technical University of Applied Sciences
Country: Germany

Michael Sterner conducts research and teaches at OTH Regensburg in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, focusing on energy storage, hydrogen and Power-to-X, renewable energy, and energy economics. He heads the Research Center for Energy Networks and Energy Storage (FENES). Previously, he held a leadership position at the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (Fraunhofer IEE) in Kassel, where he was responsible for system analysis and energy economics. He is one of the inventors of Power-to-Gas and co-author of the standard reference work 'Energy Storage', published by Springer in both German and English. In addition to numerous scientific publications, he has delivered over 1,200 lectures on the energy transition.

The engineer is active on a voluntary basis in organizations such as VDI, VDE, Engineers Europe, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He chairs the VDI guideline committee 4635 on Power-to-X. Since his work as an advisor to the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) from 2007 to 2010, he has continued to advise the German federal government and has been a member of the Diesel Commission as well as the scientific advisory board on hydrogen (FCH JU) of the European Commission. He also chairs various conferences on hydrogen and Power-to-X.

His bestselling book 'How We Save the Climate' offers well-founded solutions and clear pathways to tackling the climate crisis-from renewable energy to industrial transformation-making it an essential guide for active climate protection. Originally trained as an electrician, he has received multiple awards for his pioneering work in Power-to-X and energy storage. His expertise has been recognized through repeated inclusion in the list of the 40 most innovative scientists in Germany by Capital magazine. Alongside his scientific work, he is also artistically active as a musician and composer, is engaged in various voluntary activities, and is a father of three children.

June 24, 2026Panel Discussion

Sessions

Session

System-Serving Electrolysis - From Grid Congestion to Storage Solutions

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 01:00 pm - 02:30 pm

ICM München Room 14 B

Please note that this session will be held in German. When it comes to the energy transition, Germany is at a turning point: While Southern Germany is struggling with excess solar energy, there is a lack of efficient storage solutions for system-serving electrolysis. On the first day of the conference, we will examine how hydrogen used as energy storage can both relieve congested power grids and build a resilient infrastructure. From using excess local solar power to industrial decarbonization in the key sectors - the chemical, cement and steel industries - the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria are becoming test labs for Germany's hydrogen future. The key question is whether we need more electrolyzers in the South or whether smarter integration is the solution. The discussion will show ways the region can defend its pioneering role while remaining competitive with other different markets. The key questions that the panel will discuss are: What should a resilient German energy infrastructure look like? How can we maintain our position as technological leader while staying competitive? What role could system-serving electrolysis play in this? Will this help to ease the burden on the power grid in Southern Germany? And how can we achieve ideal interaction between electrons and molecules?