Prof Joachim Luther and Prof Hartmut Graßl, two very renowned professors, took part in the Oldenburg Climate Days and impressed the audience with their presentations.

Prof Joachim Luther was appointed to the university in 1973 and made a great contribution to the establishment of the energy laboratory. He recalled that the period around 1973/1974 was characterised by the oil crisis, which led to car-free Sundays. A secure energy supply was considered to be guaranteed by nuclear energy.

In this respect, Prof Luther's approach of researching an energy supply based on solar energy was a minority position at the time.

With the publication of his book "Solar Energy - an Alternative to Nuclear Energy" in 1977, he took a major step towards public awareness.

The goal of the research group around him was defined as follows: "A long-term secure energy supply system that is not based on fossil fuels and is free of nuclear energy."

The energy laboratory planned in this context was a central component of the research. It was considered a novelty in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1982. In this respect, the commitment of the President of the University, Prof Ralph Bruder, to maintain the energy laboratory was met with great approval. Debates about structural changes or even demolition have thus been put to rest.

Meteorologist Prof Hartmut Graßl was instrumental in developing reliable energy weather forecasts. What sounds so obvious today and is of great importance for the utilisation of renewable energy sources was not possible just a few decades ago.

In 2003, he presented a report that went too far in some respects even for Jürgen Trittin, the Green Party's environment minister at the time. "We included the statements that everyone has an equal right to CO2 emissions and that it is particularly important to compensate for overproduction in industrialised countries," says Graßl.

Taking stock of a very successful and long life as researchers, the two professors were in complete agreement in their conclusion and in one demand. Scientific findings must be implemented more quickly.