Future Dialogues: Fern­wärme & Resilienz

District Heating as Critical Infrastructure – A Gain in Efficiency or a Risk to Society and Security?

July 2, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. | University of Hamburg (Ernst Cassirer Lecture Hall, ESA A)

The heating transition is considered a key component of climate-neutral cities. Hamburg is currently massively expanding its district heating network to ensure a sustainable heat supply. Large district heating networks promise efficiency, predictability, and the large-scale use of renewable and industrial waste heat. However, could new dependencies and potential vulnerabilities arise—financially, technically, socially, and politically? Or are such systems particularly stable in the event of a crisis?

Here, we aim to bring together different perspectives and examine open questions in greater detail:

Among other things, the following questions will be discussed:

• Are centralized heating networks more vulnerable to sabotage—or can decentralized systems better leverage their strengths?
• How should efficiency, social controllability, and military vulnerability be balanced against one another?
• Who makes decisions about such infrastructure—and how transparent and democratic are these decisions?
• What impact do rising heating costs have on social inequality and social cohesion?
• What role do municipal ownership models play in ensuring a resilient and reliable supply?

Event website: https://future-dialogues.de/ 

In conversation:

Prof. Dr. Hans Schäfers
Director of the Competence Center for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (CC4E), HAW Hamburg.
Professor of Smart Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency.

Melanie Nerlich
Spokesperson for Energy Policy, Hamburg Greens.
Member of the Hamburg State Parliament.

Jesse Brunkhorst, M.Eng.
Head of the Energy Management Team at the University of Hamburg.
Responsible for the energy optimization of the University of Hamburg’s properties.

Prof. Dr. Simon Güntner
Expert Team on “Social Transformation & Acceptance” at the Competence Center for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (CC4E), HAW Hamburg.
Professor of Social Sciences and Social Policy.

Daha Yeo
Students for Future Hamburg.
Studying sociology at the University of Hamburg and illustration at HAW Hamburg.
Initiator of the “future dialogues” series.