Where Change Becomes the Future

For 5 years we have been working to ensure that aviation, shipping and the chemicals industry become greenhouse gas-neutral and sustainable.

Our vision

We are shaping a future in which people live in harmony with nature, use resources equitably, travel in a climate-friendly way and produce sustainably.

Our mission

We are driving change in sectors where climate protection is particularly challenging. Our focus is on the market ramp-up of electricity-based fuels and basic materials. From our base in Lusatia, we are providing forward-looking impetus for politics, business and society – in a way that is sustainable and technically and economically viable.

Our tasks

The ‘PtX Lab Lausitz – Think and Do Tank for Electricity-Based Fuels and Basic Materials from Green Hydrogen’ is developing the technical basis for the market ramp-up of environmentally friendly and sustainable production and use of Power-to-X (PtX) products based on green hydrogen. The competence centre, located in Cottbus (Brandenburg), is a knowledge platform, initiator and point of contact for industry and politics, science and the public.

Where change becomes the future — Promotional film

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The film highlights how the PtX Lab Lausitz is helping to shape structural change in the region and driving forward sustainable fuels. Release date: 09/2026 | Duration: 03:14 mins.

Our goal

The work of PtX Lab Lausitz focuses on green hydrogen and its derivatives. The aim is to

create the basis for the sustainable, environmentally friendly production and use of Power-to-X (PtX) products and
to promote the rapid and successful market launch of these products.

In doing so, we consider the entire value chain of relevant technologies and industries, their resource efficiency and their integration into the circular economy.

We are a Think and Do Tank

We promote the market ramp-up of PtX technologies

To prevent the severe consequences of global warming, we must successfully phase out fossil energy sources. PtX technologies are an important tool for doing so. They enable sector coupling, in which green electricity generated from renewable energy is used in industry and transport. The PtX Lab Lausitz promotes the market ramp-up of these technologies. It focuses on aviation, maritime transport and the chemical industry. In these areas, direct electrification is often not possible or useful. PtX products offer the only climate-friendly alternative to fossil fuels and raw materials in the long term. Their energy-efficient, fast and sustainable production is a major challenge, but also opens up enormous economic opportunities.
We promote dialogue

The PtX Lab Lausitz promotes interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral dialogue, particularly on climate- and environmentally relevant issues, and maximises the possible uses of PtX technologies. This includes support for the construction of a power-to-liquid (PtL) demonstration plant in Lusatia that meets the highest sustainability criteria, through industrial partners and funds from the Coal Region Investment Act (InvKG).
We organise professional exchange

The analysis of the obstacles to implementation provides insights into the political and financial framework conditions and enables the development of concrete solutions and recommendations for action for a successful transport transition and the transformation of the chemical industry. In addition, the PtX Lab Lausitz is part of an innovation cluster in Brandenburg and cooperates with various institutions. It organises the exchange of expertise on relevant topics between sectors through regular specialist events, conferences and workshops.

Our structure

The PtX Lab Lausitz opened in March 2021 in Cottbus. The competence centre is a division of Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, a federally-owned service company that promotes environmental, nature and climate protection, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). By settling in Cottbus, it supports the sustainable structural development of the region.

Note:

All information presented in our publications, during our events and on our website originates exclusively from PtX Lab Lausitz and its employees, unless otherwise labelled.

Our team

A group of three men and three women are standing in a row next to each other. — Management team of PtX Lab Lausitz (from left to right: Dr Harry Lehmann, Dr Sarah Bernhardt, Dr Stefan Günthner, Susanne Baron, Felix Schmermer, Anita Demuth).

Dr Harry Lehmann, member of the Club of Rome, heads the PtX Lab Lausitz. The specialist areas, which were reorganised in September 2025, are led by

Susanne Baron (Communication Climate-Neutral Industry; since June 2025)
Dr Sarah Bernhardt (PtX Basic Materials)
Anita Demuth (PtX Mobility)
Dr Stefan Günthner (PtX Technology)
Felix Schmermer (PtX Policy & Market Ramp-Up)

The employees of the PtX Lab Lausitz work interdisciplinary and come from the fields of economics, natural and engineering sciences, (international) law and social sciences. The principle of sustainability is at the centre of their work when establishing new PtX technologies and business models.

The PtX Lab Lausitz is continuously expanding its expertise and areas of responsibility – with a growing number of employees. Become a part of it!

Look for open job positions at ZUG

Our sections

Section PtX Basic Materials
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz / Toni Kretschmer

A member of staff from the section is reading a fact sheet.

The PtX Basic Materials Section, led by Dr Sarah Bernhardt, is committed to a climate-neutral future based on electricity-derived feedstocks. It develops systemic strategies for a fossil-free, circular and competitive chemical industry and promotes the use of green PtX basic materials.

How can the chemical industry become climate-neutral and resource-efficient? How can resources (critical minerals, land, water) be used equitably? And how can a sustainable transformation be achieved without creating new conflicts of interest? These and other questions form the basis of the team’s key priorities:
Enabling the defossilisation of the chemical industry by 2045/2050,
Securing the supply of electricity-based Basic Materials,
Developing a resilient resource strategy,
Strengthening PtX expertise to promote acceptance.
Section PtX Mobility
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz / Toni Kretschmer

The team from the PtX Mobility section.

Anita Demuth heads the PtX Mobility section and, together with her colleagues, is committed to sustainable mobility in a connected, climate-neutral world. To this end, the team identifies political, economic and technological opportunities across the entire mobility value chain – from transformation pathways and infrastructure to financing instruments.

The main focus is on the global use of PtX fuels in aviation and maritime transport. To this end, the section concentrates, amongst other things, on the following areas:
Developing transition pathways towards climate neutrality in the mobility sector (2045/2050) and determining the role of PtX solutions within them,
Expanding infrastructure for the use of PtX fuels,
Modelling and evaluating transformation scenarios,
Developing funding options and support schemes for businesses,
Strengthening sustainable and affordable travel and logistics options.
Together with partners from the maritime and aviation industries, as well as from politics, society and research, the section develops systemic solutions to drive forward the energy transition in transport.
Section PtX Policy & Market Ramp-Up
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz / Toni Kretschmer

The team from the PtX Policy and Market Ramp-up section.

Led by Felix Schmermer, the PtX Policy and Market Ramp-up section helps shape the political and economic framework for the successful ramp-up of PtX technologies and production. The aim is to establish PtX as a central component of a climate-neutral and resilient system, whilst also facilitating sustainable investment conditions.

To this end, the section produces science-based analyses and assessments, identifies policy options and develops concrete recommendations for decision-makers. The range of topics extends from funding instruments and market designs, through European climate and industrial policy, to other policy areas relevant to the PtX market ramp-up.

It encompasses the following five thematic areas:
Shaping the policy framework for the PtX market ramp-up in such a way that PtX solutions become available on a sufficient scale to achieve climate targets,
Positioning PtX as a contributor to resilience, security of supply and strategic autonomy,
Tapping into the potential of renewable energies and supporting regional transformation processes,
Integrating PtX into the climate policy framework whilst taking into account the interactions and impacts on market ramp-up,
Monitoring policy developments at an early stage, assessing them from a technical perspective and translating them into targeted advice.
Section PtX Technology
Copyright: PtX Lab Lausitz / Toni Kretschmer

The team from the PtX Technology section.

In the PtX Technology Section – led by Dr Stefan Günthner – PtX technologies are modelled and investigated from a techno-economic perspective. The team also assesses their systemic impacts with a view to rapid market ramp-up. In doing so, it brings together industrial, political and scientific stakeholders to address the following topics:
PtX processes and plants
Integration of PtX into electricity and hydrogen networks
Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
This work is particularly evident in the planned PtL demonstration plant in Lusatia: as the primary point of contact, the PtX Lab Lausitz supports the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs in implementing the project envisaged under the InvKG and oversees the associated expression of interest and funding procedures.

In the long term, the think and do tank helps to ensure the demonstration nature of the plant and to systematically apply the lessons learnt to future plants. In this way, a pilot project can become an important step towards widespread application.

We are “Attraktiver Arbeitgeber 2026"

EGC Wirtschaftsförderung Cottbus GmbH has awarded the PtX Lab Lausitz and the Competence Centre on Climate Change Mitigation in Energy-Intensive Industries (KEI) the title of ‘Attraktiver Arbeitgeber’ (Attractive Employer) for the second time since 2024.

In 2024, the PtX Lab Lausitz also received the ‘Sonderpreis für kulturelle Vielfalt’ (Special Prize for Diversity). The jury praised the team’s diverse nationalities, the wide range of working time arrangements, and the diversity in terms of age, background and educational qualifications. “The PtX Lab Lausitz goes to great lengths to promote diversity and integration in the workplace,” explained the judges.

Cover image of the video ‘Awarded as an Attractive Employer’ by the city of Cottbus

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The video from Boomtown Cottbus offers a glimpse into the PtX Lab Lausitz.

Our topics

Our publications

With studies, papers, briefings and fact sheets, we shed light on the development of PtX technologies in the aviation and maritime sectors as well as in the chemical industry.

Our team

Our interdisciplinary team works at the intersection of technology, politics and society – right at the heart of structural change in Lusatia.

PtX and the energy transition

Cover Page of the PtX Lab Facts "PtX Lab Lausitz"

The PtX Lab Facts explains why Power-to-X is essential for the energy transition. Find out more.