News — Professur für Nachhaltigkeits- und Transformationsforschung

Ein zukunftsfähiges Strommarktdesign für Deutschland

Check out the recent publication here:
https://www.oeko.de/publikation/ein-zukunftsfaehiges-strommarktdesign-fuer-deutschland/

Summary:

The Federal Republic of Germany is pursuing the goal of achieving climate neutrality within the next 20 years. This requires the complete decarbonization of the electricity sector. For this, fossil-fuel power generators are to be completely eliminated from the market and replaced by renewable energies. To make this possible, an electricity market design is required that establishes the necessary framework. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and solution options that arise for today's electricity market design in the course of the transformation to an electricity system with 100% renewable energies in Germany. Various methodologies were applied for this purpose, with a focus on in-depth literature research. A comprehensive analysis of the entire market was created from previous academic studies, which mostly focus on individual aspects of electricity market design. The results provide a classification of various discussed solution instruments based on their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the results provide information on the urgency of the various challenges and show the extent to which they are addressed by the considered solution options. Particularly in the area of long-term refinancing of renewable energies, it became clear that there are significant uncertainties, which are primarily due to the uncertainty regarding the development of hydrogen prices. Urgent action is needed here.

Energiesystem der Zukunft: erneuerbar und dezentral?

Check out the recent contribution here:
https://www.zfs.uni-freiburg.de/de/zertifikat-nachhaltigkeit/logos-und-grafiken_zerna/VortragsreiheNachhaltigkeit_WS24_25_s2.png

Systemtransformation: Wie können akademische und angewandte Forschung verknüpft werden?

Check out the recent contribution here:
https://www.uni-trier.de/forschung/graduiertenzentrum-gut/doccolloq-interdisziplinaeres-doktorandenkolloquium

Summary:

The regularly offered Interdisciplinary Colloquium by doctoral candidates for doctoral candidates aims to enable doctoral candidates to gain presentation experience in a protected space in which they can present their own dissertation project, present new papers or outlines of essays, rehearse presentations for conferences or practice presentations for the dissertation defense.

From 2019 to 2024, an annual Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference was organized by doctoral students for doctoral students at Trier University . It provided doctoral students with a platform for academic exchange across university and disciplinary boundaries, and particularly for gaining expertise in event organization and scientific communication. This event is currently on hold and will resume when an organizing team from among doctoral students approaches GUT.

Governance der Energiewende – ein analytischer Überblick

Check out the recent contribution here:
https://www.isog.dhbw.de/veranstaltungen/detail/workshop-intersektorale-governance-im-bereich-der-erneuerbaren-energien-1

Summary:

This course brings together representatives from administration, business, and civil society to develop solutions to the challenges of establishing renewable energies. This continuing education course addresses the cooperation between government, business, and civil society in the field of the energy transition. How can the relevant interfaces be designed so that public administration, companies, NGOs, and initiatives can cooperate constructively and address conflicts? It provides a platform for exploring intersectoral perspectives and expanding networks with other experts.

Goals :

Acquisition of methodological knowledge for conflict resolution
Insight into best practices and solution models
Promoting a change of perspective and improved planning coordination

New publication on policy mixes for energy transitions

Check out the recently published paper here:

"Policy mixes for net-zero energy transitions: Insights from energy sector integration in Germany", Sarah Olbrich, Dierk Bauknecht & Philipp Späth, Energy Research and Social Science, December 2024

Abstract:

Energy sector integration is one key strategy in the German net-zero energy transition to decarbonise the energy-consuming sectors mobility, heating and industry. Energy sector integration describes connecting power, heat, mobility and industrial processes as well as their infrastructure through either the use of renewable power (direct electrification) or the use of low carbon hydrogen and its derivates (indirect electrification).

In this contribution, we evaluate the comprehensiveness of the German policy mix for energy sector integration using the policy intervention points framework. To do so, we mapped the policy mix and discussed it with experts in energy policy and energy sector integration.

We show that next to diffusing low-carbon technologies, taking an overarching system perspective across the sectors and addressing systemic problems in the emerging system are major challenges. Furthermore, the policy mix should be better coordinated as, due to the current sectoral silo thinking, it is often unclear how sectoral and energy carrier-specific policy elements relate to each other. As well, mistrust in the credibility of the policy mix leads to uncertainty, fear of sunk investments and planning insecurity.

Based on the empirical analysis, we propose to add system building as additional policy intervention point. System building aims to take an overarching system perspective on the new and contested system configuration, which allows to coordinate transition processes with regard to a systemic goal like the net-zero goal and to identify and address systemic problems that emerge during the transition.