EventsThe Economic Opportunities behind a Smart Energy Transition

The Economic Opportunities behind a Smart Energy Transition

Claudia Kemfert

DIW Berlin

Event from
19 January
2017
Photo from Claudia Kemfert

Event

Topic

“The economic opportunities behind a smart energy transition are immense. For this reason, we should not miss them.” said Claudia Kemfert right at the start. In her book The Battle About Electricity, which was published in 2013, the economist already described prevailing myths in the fields of energy research and climate protection. Claudia Kemfert began by highlighting the goals of the energy transition, namely to increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources from currently around 28 % to 80 % in 2050. At the same time, the nuclear power plants still in operation, particularly in southern Germany, will shut down by 2022. During her lecture, the energy expert made it clear that the success of the energy transition depends on rapid implementation of all planned measures. It is necessary to begin phasing out coal now and adequately support the structural change this entails. Claudia Kemfert clearly stated her demands on politics and society: we must do more to save energy, the reliability of renewable energy supply must be increased, and mobility must be geared towards sustainability.She made a highly compelling statement that the energy transition can result in a permanently sustainable energy supply and that the use of energy from renewable resources must be expanded immediately and consistently.

Claudia Kemfert

Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert has been head of the Department of Energy, Transportation, Environment of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) since April 2004 and is a professor of Energy Economics and Sustainability at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. 

Work

She was appointed to the Advisory Council on the Environment at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in 2016. The award-winning top-level researcher and a much sought-after policy and media expert won the Urania Medal and the B.A.U.M Environment Award in the Science category in 2011, and the German Solar Award and the Adam Smith Prize for Environmental Economic Policy in 2016.

Photo Wind turbine, power pole
Photo: owik2/photocase.de