Climate Change and the Energy Challenge: Towards an Energy Efficient and Renewable-based System

Climate Change and the Energy Challenge: Towards an Energy Efficient and Renewable-based System
- An interdisciplinary approach to today’s great energy questions -
 
Summer Academy 'Energy and the Environment' 2013 | September 15-21 | Brussels | Belgium

Organised by IKEM | the Institute for Climate protection, Energy and Mobility

The Summer Academy ‘Energy and the Environment’ is an international annual conference first organized in 2004 with the University of Greifswald. During one week, the event addresses a current topic in the field of energy and the environment in an interdisciplinary fashion, paying heed to the policy, legal, economic, technological and environmental forces that shape climate and energy policy. The Academy has taken place in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Budapest and Irkutsk and convened researchers and professionals for lectures and discussions on topics like international climate policy and renewable energy integration.
 
This year, from 15-21 September, the 10^th annual Summer Academy ‘Energy and the Environment’ will revisit the major climate and energy questions of our generation, questions that have driven the event since its very first edition in 2004. Paying special attention to the demand and supply-side potential and challenges of energy efficiency, the 10^th anniversary of the Summer Academy ‘Energy and the Environment’ looks back on the major topics addressed over the past decade, to evaluate what progress has been made and to weave new issues and recent (technological) developments into the discussion.
 
The topic
As climate change is forcing us to redesign our energy system and consumption patterns, energy efficiency and renewable energy feature high on the agenda of policy-makers and businesses alike. Energy efficiency measures are rapidly integrated across the economy, and fossil fuel is making way for renewables. But are current efforts enough to mitigate climate change?
The Academy will kick off with an in-depth study on the state of climate change, climate policy and the continuing dominance of conventional fuels in today’s energy infrastructure and matrix (Monday and Tuesday). This diagnosis is the foundation on which the program will develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, the building blocks of decarbonization strategies worldwide (Wednesday-Friday).
 
The location
2013 is a special year for the Summer Academy: It marks the 10-year anniversary of this international event! At this occasion, the Academy will be hosted in Brussels, capital of the EU and home to much of the region’s innovative sustainable policy-making. The conferences will take place at the Representation of the German State (or Bundesland) Mecklenburg Vorpommern to Brussels from Monday to Thursday. A key player in the German Energiewende, the region Mecklenburg Vorpommern will soon derive all its energy needs from renewable sources. Their vast experience in shifting to a sustainable, energy efficient system makes this Bundesland the ideal cooperation partner for our Summer Academy ‘Energy and the Environment’ 2013. On Friday, the final conference will be hosted by the Academy’s long-time partner, German energy law firm Becker Büttner Held, at their Brussels office.
 
The program
On Sunday the 15^th of September the Academy begins with a welcome dinner in the center of Brussels. Participants can arrive throughout the day at a time of their convenience, and meet their colleagues and teaching faculty that evening. Information on the key locations in Brussels will be provided, and more details on the program will be distributed. The Academy begins the conferences on Monday the 16^th with an overview of the current state of climate change and the policies in place to control it. Tuesday addresses the dominating role of conventional fuels in the current energy matrix, including controversial new sources like shale gas and tar sand, now available due to new extraction technologies. An economic and environmental cost analysis of conventional vs. renewables shifts the focus to RES (renewable energy sources), with a case study on the German ‘Energiewende’, a political commitment to reach a 100% renewable energy system by 2050. Wednesday will focus on supply-side energy efficiency; starting with energy supply infrastructure and addressing grid-related challenges surround RES integration. Co-generation and distributed vs. centralized distribution are also on the agenda. Thursday addresses the topic of energy efficiency on the demand-side, with an analysis of the practice and outlook of energy efficiency in the building, industry and transport sector. The final conference day of the 2013 Academy on Friday focuses on the design, effectiveness, challenges and outlook of the new European Union Directive on Energy Efficiency. Case studies on energy efficiency in the UK and Germany will provide deeper insight into which legal instruments do well in under which circumstances. With contributions from legal experts from Martineau and Becker Büttner Held, UK and Germany-based law firms.

Participants
The Academy is looking for participants who work or study in the field of energy and the environment, who like to actively participate in discussion and possibly present their work during the Academy. All participants may submit an article for publication on their particular work or focus in the field, which will be published by the Berlin-based legal publisher Lexxion. Since the event is interdisciplinary (addressing the policy, legal, economic, sociological and technological facets of the major climate and energy issues), disciplinary diversity among participants is important as it enriches the quality of the discussions. The Academy aims to unite many cultural different backgrounds as well: Each country has a different approach to sustainability and offers new lessons into our subject matter.

Join!
We would love to hear from you if you are interested in participating in the Summer Academy. Please send the attached application form to summeracademy2013@ikem-online.de before the 31st of May. To find out more about the event, its history, past publications and events you can check outour website at: ikemsummeracademy.de
For a print-friendly, detailed program please see:
ikemsummeracademy.de/program/