Guest in the series Chef(in) On Air

In its series Chef(in) On Air (roughly: the boss on air), Radio Cottbus introduces business owners and managers from the region. In December 2025 the guest was Lucie Töpfer, managing director and co-founder of pyropower GmbH. Radio Cottbus presented pyropower as an example of structural change in Lusatia, shortly after the company had received the Innovationspreis Berlin-Brandenburg 2025 (Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award).

At a glance

• Radio Cottbus featured Lucie Töpfer in its series Chef(in) On Air in December 2025.
• The conversation took place shortly after the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award 2025.
• Topics were the name pyropower, the process, the award and the region.
• Pyrolysis means that residues are heated without oxygen and break down into gas and char.
• One process produces electricity, heat and biochar.

Topics of the conversation

• The name: Pyro does not stand for fireworks but for pyrolysis, in which residues are heated without oxygen.
• The process: One process produces three products: electricity, heat and biochar. The carbon remains bound in the char.
• The award: The Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Award 2025 as confirmation of the path from start-up to plant manufacturer.
• The region: New technology from Lusatia and what companies in the region can do with it.

In brief: pyrolysis in three steps

• Heating without oxygen: Wood chips or other woody residues are heated to several hundred degrees in the reactor. They do not burn but break down into gas and char.
• Energy from the gas: The pyrolysis gas is burned. Via a heat exchanger, the heat warms clean air that drives a micro gas turbine. This produces electricity and heat.
• Biochar as a product: The char can be used on site or sold, for example for livestock housing, soil or building materials.

You can find more on the technology in our technical articles.

Radio Cottbus also reported on the VORSPRUNG business award on 6 May 2026: Report at Radio Cottbus.

Business leaders from Lusatia

The series Chef(in) On Air gives a voice to people who run companies in the region. For pyropower, Lusatia is more than a location. This is where we develop and manufacture our plants, where we find suppliers and skilled staff, and where it becomes clear how an energy region can bring forth new technology after lignite. If you would like to work with us, you can find open positions on our Careers page.

More on this topic

• Lucie Töpfer: career and topics
• Pyrolysis: the process explained simply
• Pyro-ClinX: the plant behind the conversation
• News and press: all news and events

For editors and interested readers

Would you like to report on pyropower or find out whether a pyrolysis plant suits your site? For press enquiries, contact us at info@pyro-power.com. For projects, please use our contact form.