Participation and Stakeholder Involvement to Facilitate the German Energy Transition – Lessons from the Helmholtz Alliance ENERGY-TRANS

With the envisioned energy transformation in Germany, energy supply will be primarily based on renewable sources of energy and efficiency gains. Furthermore, the demand side of energy will become a major topic of research and... [ view full abstract ]

With the envisioned energy transformation in Germany, energy supply will be primarily based on renewable sources of energy and efficiency gains. Furthermore, the demand side of energy will become a major topic of research and will be at the core of future energy policies.
For meeting these challenges, the Helmholtz Association, Germany’s largest scientific organisation, has launched the research alliance ENERGY-TRANS that investigates the systemic interactions between technology, organisation and behaviour in Germany within a European and international context. The emphasis is on the demand side of energy systems and focuses on user needs, integrated scenario building, innovation diffusion, infrastructure planning and risk governance. The research team investigates the interfaces between technical and societal factors that significantly influence the prospects for the envisioned transformation process.
The Helmholtz Alliance ENERGY-TRANS places the connections between and among energy technologies, planning procedures and consumer behaviour in the focus of the research interests and investigations. Research projects include the interaction of energy supply, energy distribution and energy storage on the one hand and institutional governance and consumer behavior on the other hand. The results are expected to provide policy-oriented knowledge for an efficient and socially acceptable design of a sustainable energy system. The presentation will provide an overview of key insights gained from the Helmholtz Alliance ENERGY-TRANS, especially focusing on the complex interplay of governance, civil society and the economy.

Symposium Title: Energy Transition: Risks, Uncertainties and Societal Values.