Achieving our climate protection goals requires a change in the form of energy conversion (for example through the use of renewable energies), a questioning of our behaviour with regard to the use of resources and, in particular, a reduction in energy use. The latter requires a significant increase in the efficiency of energy use if we want to at least maintain our standard of living and achieve a sustainability-orientated, future-proof form of society.

As also emphasised in a recommendation by the EU Commission¹ methods of information and communication technology (ICT) can contribute to this in many ways:

• ICT plays a decisive role in the development of "smart grids", which are required for the efficient integration of renewable energy into the electricity grid [1].
• By measuring and controlling energy use in buildings as well as in transport and logistics, considerable efficiency potential can be realised [2].
• New business and working models, made possible by the consistent use of ICT methods, can help to reduce energy requirements [2].
• ICT already determines the energy requirements of many products today. The aim here is to utilise existing savings potential [2].
• ICT itself is responsible for an increasing proportion of electricity consumption worldwide - a wide range of hardware and software measures can help to reduce this increase [3].

In addition to realising climate protection goals, the development of such methods, products and services can also create new jobs - and not just in ICT.

The Department of Computing Science addresses these challenges in three main areas, which are also reflected in numerous projects and courses.

Oldenburg's research work in the field of "Smart Grids - Intelligent Energy Networks" is among the best, at least nationally. This is reflected, for example, in the management of large interdisciplinary joint research projects ("Smart Nord" - State of Lower Saxony - funding volume € 4.1 million, membership of the programme committee of the DFG SPP "Hybrid and Multimodal Energy Networks", state doctoral programme "System Integration of Renewable Energies"), the management of the "Energy Informatics" expert committee of the German Society for Computing Science or the founding of the D-A-CH leading conference "Energy Informatics" on the German side. Energy informatics in Oldenburg is currently the largest national research group in this field, which is also well networked internationally, for example through the associated partnership in the EERA joint programme "Smart Grids".