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The international conference on Renewable Energy Self-Sufficiency (RESS), a relatively new scientific field, took place from 14 to 16 September in Freiburg. Organised by the University of Freiburg, the conference attracted scientists and academically interested practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines who are working towards comprehensive strategies to increase the proportion of renewable energies in energy systems. Timo Kaphengst, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, was invited for a key note speech on some of the fundamental questions related to Renewable Energy Self-Sufficiency. The presentation is available for download.

His speech raised some fundamental and critical aspects of Renewable Energy Self-Sufficiency. Focusing in particular on bioenergy, he highlighted the limits of further expansion of renewable energies through the availability of land. He also referred to several environmental and social impacts of increasing bioenergy use that have to be considered in decision-making processes on different policy levels when boosting energy self-sufficiency. Furthermore, he proposed a policy framework for a more democratic and sustainable energy system, which was vividly discussed in in the following sessions of the conference.

The transformation of the present energy system to more renewable energies and less dependency from oil exporting countries is discussed worldwide. Self-sufficiency based on electricity, heat, and fuel from renewable energies in combination with energy saving strategies is widely seen as the key for a sustainable energy system. Many communities and regions in different countries have encountered these challenges and are following ambitious targets of reaching energy self-sufficiency through the use of renewable energies.

Such developments are strongly associated with a needed democratization of the energy supply system. More decentralized structures and stronger involvement of local communities, land users, SMEs and consumers are a pre-requisite of energy self-sufficiency and require a significant transformation process.

The conference endorsed on discussions within different disciplinary fields about the transformation of the energy system and went beyond disciplinary boundaries for the facilitation of an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to RESS.

The presentation [pdf, 1.8 MB, English] can be downloaded.