Review: Green Hour: “Franz Lawaczeck: Turbinenbauer, Nationalsozialist und früher Prediger für grünen Wasserstoff” (Prof. Dr. Marita Krauss)

In her talk about the engineer Franz Lawaczeck from Pöcking, Bavaria, Prof. Dr. Marita Krauss showed how regional history provides us with insights that are of high critical value for current debates about alternative energy sources. As Krauss could show, Lawarczeck was a politically problematic and ambiguous figure. A true pioneer in the field of “green” hydrogen research he was also a National-Socialist with close ties to the upper ranks of the party. His wish to modernize the German energy sector and manage it locally, followed a strictly nationalist agenda; he identified with the “left”-leaning part of the National Socialists and aimed to create a locally-managed, anti-capitalist “green” alternative to British coal and American oil industries. Listening to Krauss reminded the audience how important it is to scan energy debates for problematic ideological content. Footnote: Lawarczeck’s project never materialized.