GUEST SPEAKER

Renewable Energy Autonomy and the German Experience: Perspectives for Botswana

Prof. Dieter D. Genske
University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen Weinberghof 4, Germany

Abstract

With the Energiewende (the Energy Switch) Germany is spearheading the global movement for transforming our fossil society into a renewable one. The German government considers the Energiewende as being a national effort of highest priority, comparable in dimension with the German Reunification. In 2012, 13 percent of Germany's gross final energy was already green (24 percent of power generation). Investments triggered totalled 20 billion Euros. Almost 400.000 people were employed in the green energy sector. 145 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents were avoided by replacing fossil energy with renewable energy. Already 2011, some 7 billion Euros were saved on fossil fuel imports, i.e. more than the German Government spends on subsidies for research and development. Germany aims at beating the already ambitious goals set by the European Union: In 2030, almost one third of the gross final energy and at least half of the electricity shall be produced from renewable resources. Although there have been setbacks and obstacles, the green momentum stays strong with the majority of the German population supporting the idea of green energy. Cities and communities have defined ambitious goals to become self-supportive and carbon-neutral. Energy providers are redefining their fields of activity to participate in this transformation process. This presentation gives examples from communities in Germany, Switzerland and Austria aiming at green energy autonomy. Achievements and drawbacks will be indicated and future developments will be discussed. The question will be raised, whether this transformation process would also be feasible in Africa, with the focus on Botswana.

Biography of the Guest Speaker

Dieter D. Genske holds professorial appointments at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, Germany and the University of Liechtenstein.
After his PhD, he started working on engineering and environmental problems, first as a Humboldt Research Fellow in Kyoto, Japan, then as a project manager at Deutsche Montan Technologie DMT, where he became involved in major urban remediation projects, including the International Building Exhibition IBA Emscher Park and the new Parliament Quarter in Berlin. Dieter D. Genske taught at a number of universities including the TU Delft, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, and the ETH-Zurich. Since 2000, Dieter Genske is focussing on associating space resources with renewable energies. In this context, he has conducted research and development projects on the introduction of renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gases for the German Government, the European Union (EFRE, INTERREG), the International Building Exhibition IBA Hamburg, the Canton of Basel-City (2000-Watt-Society), the Principality of Liechtenstein and the City of Villach (Austria). At the moment he is involved in the International Building Exhibition IBA Thuringia and the Bodensee/Lake Constance-Alpine Rhine Valley Energy- and Climate Region BAER. 2012, he and his team received the European Solar Award.