Press Release 122/2013

The Energy Turnaround as a Joint Effort

Public Discussion about Expectations from Politics, Science, and Citizens at the Scientific Conference of the ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance
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Sustainable transformation of the energy system is not only associated with technical, but also with societal challenges. (Collage: ENERGY-TRANS)

How can science, the public, and politics cooperate better in transforming the energy system? This will be the subject of a podium discussion organized by the ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance on October 09, 2013, 19 hrs, at ZKM │ Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe. All interested citizens are invited to join the discussion. This public event will be part of the international scientific conference “Energy Systems in Transition” that will take place at ZKM and the University of Arts and Design (HfG), Karlsruhe, from October 09 to October 11, 2013.

 

The participants of the public discussion “Die Energiewende als Gemeinschaftswerk – Erwartungen an Wissenschaft, Politik und Bürgerschaft” (The energy turnaround as a joint effort – expectations from science, politics, and citizens) will be the Baden-Württemberg Minister of Science Theresia Bauer, the Undersecretary of State Dr. Georg Schütte from the Federal Ministry of Research, Professor Gesine Schwan, President of the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA School of Governance, and Professor Armin Grunwald from KIT, Spokesperson of the ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance. The discussion will be presented by Professor Ortwin Renn from the University of Stuttgart, who also is spokesperson of ENERGY-TRANS. The discussion is supposed to provide new insights in the translation of scientific findings into political actions. The discussion will also and mainly focus on the role of citizens in the area-wide realization of the objectives of the energy turnaround. In particular, participation of the population in the planning of new infrastructure facilities will be essential to the success of the energy turnaround.

 

Research under the ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance coordinated by KIT addresses the requirements associated with the transformation of the national and European energy system. ENERGY-TRANS analyzes the energy system mainly from the perspective of the society’s demand and users. It studies the numerous interfaces among technical, economic, and social factors that determine the transformation and the planning and construction of new infra-structure facilities. As a result, action-oriented knowledge will be supplied for the efficient and socially compatible design of the future energy system.

 

During the conference “Energy Systems in Transition – Inter- and Transdisciplinary Contributions”, scientists of various disciplines will discuss conditions and consequences of the sustainable transformation of energy supply. The conference will focus among others on renewable energies from the systemic perspective, smart grids under interdisciplinary aspects, the management of complex transformation processes, participation and public acceptance, the role of cities and regions in the transformation of the energy system as well as on energy and economic development.

 

For more information on the conference, click

http://www.energy-trans.de/conference-2013/index.php

 

About the ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance

The ENERGY-TRANS Helmholtz Alliance comprises four centres of the Helmholtz Association, three universities, and one non-university research institute. The Alliance is coordinated by the KIT. About 60 social and political scientists, psychologists and philosophers, economists, legal scholars, engineers, and systems analysts collaborate in five research fields, 17 projects, and two cross-disciplinary topics. The spokespersons of the Alliance are Professor Armin Grunwald, Head of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of KIT, and Professor Ortwin Renn, Director of the Research Center on Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies (ZIRIUS) of the University of Stuttgart. The Alliance is planned to span a time period of five years (2011 to 2016) and operates on a budget of EUR 16.5 million. Half of the funds has been provided by the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association, the other half is borne by the partners.

 

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is one of Europe’s leading energy research establishments. Research, education, and innovation at KIT foster the energy turnaround and reorganization of the energy system in Germany. For this, KIT links excellent competences in engineering and science with know-how in economics, the humanities, and social science as well as law. The activities of the KIT Energy Center are organized in seven topics: Energy conversion, renewable energies, energy storage and distribution, efficient energy use, fusion technology, nuclear power and safety, and energy systems analysis. Clear priorities lie in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energies, energy storage technologies and grids, electric mobility, and enhanced international cooperation in research.

 

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.

or, 01.10.2013
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