SummerSchool Energy
Financing, participation, and environmental protection in community renewable energy projects
28th August – 1st September 2023, Lüneburg/Germany
From August 28th to September 1st, 2023, we, the PhD students of the junior research group "SteuerBoard Energie" organized the "SummerSchool Energy - Financing, participation, and environmental protection in community renewable energy projects" at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Together with 30 PhD and Master students from different countries from India to Italy, we explored, discussed, and connected topics like financing and regulation of the energy transition, citizen participation (community energy), citizen science and nature protection around renewable energy production.
In addition to inputs from experts from science and practice, there was a panel discussion, various formats to contribute and develop your own ideas, and three practical workshops: A simulation game on the "Not in my Backyard discussion"; the construction and functioning of a mobile solar system and a workshop on the "SenseBox" with sensors for environmental data collection in Citizen Science projects. We further deepened the newly established networks in the evening with events in the beer garden, a city tour, a board game evening and a pub crawl.
We would like to thank all participants for their perspectives and commitment as well as the numerous speakers for their input and willingness to discuss:
Thomas Bartoschek (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster), Jonathan Bonadio (SolarPower Europe), Carolin Dähling (Green Planet Energy), Mark Davis (University of Leeds), Lina Dubina (SolarPower Europe), Hans-Josef Fell (Energy Watch Group), Dr. Swantje Gährs (Institut für ökologische Wirtschaftsforschung), Dr. Lars Holstenkamp (Leuphana University of Lüneburg), Jan Osenberg (SolarPower Europe), Ricardo Reibsch (Reiner Lemoine Foundation), Dr. Steven Salecki (Institute for Ecological Economy Research), Kathrin Schwarz (Kompetenzzentrum Naturschutz und Energiewende), Bernd Siebenhüner (Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg), Katharina Sieß (Wissenschaft im Dialog), Prof. Dr. Thomas Schomerus (Leuphana University Lüneburg) Malte Zieher (Bündnis Bürgerenergie).
Special thanks also go to our institutions at Leuphana University of Lüneburg, the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the ECOLOG Institute as well as the Association for Ecological Economy Research (VÖW) for their support. In addition, of course, to the numerous helpers in the background as well as our project sponsor, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Schedule and Presentations
In the following schedule you can find the links to most of the presentations. If you have participated in the SummerSchool Energy and have follow up questions to the presentations you can collect them in our Miro board until end of September. You can find the link and password to miro in the last mail from Jan.
Monday, 28th August
- Check-in & Welcome – Dr. Lars Holstenkamp; Julia Lüdemann; Jan Wiesenthal
-
Keynote „Financing, participation, and environmental protection in community renewable energy projects“ – Hans-Josef Fell
- Campus Tour, getting to know each other – Najam Memon; Julia Lüdemann; Hannes Bluhm
- Get together in "Schröders Garten" (Beer Garden)
Tuesday, 29th August
- Impulses from panel participants
o Association for ecological Economy – Bernd Siebenhühner
o Community renewable energy projects – Carolin Dähling
o Citizen energy in Germany – Malte Zieher
o Self-consumption in energy communities – Dr. Swantje Gährs
- Panel Discussion „Financing, participation, and environmental protection in community renewable energy projects“ – Dr. Lars Holstenkamp
- Biodiversity and solar energy – Discussing effects and potentials – Julia Lüdemann
o Nature compatible solar parks – Kathrin Schwarz
o Physical, chemical, and biological impacts of floatovoltaics (floating PV) on aquatic systems – Sofia Rocha
- Financial Participation of Citizens – importance and options
o Financial participation: Importance and options – Jan Wiesenthal
o Financial participation: A boost for RE acceptance!? – Dr. Steven Salecki
-
Exploring the opportunities and challenges of EU Green Hydrogen Regulation: Implications for
Investment – Hanna Tsymbalishyna
- Not in my backyard: Simulation game – Katharina Sieß
- Acceleration of the energy transition through social and democratic development in energy cooperatives – Neneh Braum
- City tour and dinner at Mälzer Brau- und Tafelhaus with Prof. Dr. Thomas Schomerus
Wednesday, 30th August
- Opportunities of Citizen Science in Monitoring & SenseBox Workshop – Thomas Bartoschek
- Workshop "How to install and operate a mobile solar plant"– Ricardo Reibsch
- Financial participation of citizens – practical examples
o Overview of Energy Communities in Europe & Globally – Dr. Lars Holstenkamp
o Local Climate Bonds – Marc Davis
o 100 % renewables islands – Henry Hecker
o Bürger.Macht.Energie – Robert Neumann
o Examples from Pakistan – Najamul Saqib Memon
- Pizza and board game night
Thursday, 31st August
- Environmental governance for renewable energy – Lina Dubina & Jonathan Bonadio
- Financial participation of citizens – International framework conditions for financing renewable energies – Jan Wiesenthal
o Regulatory Frameworks for Community Energy – Jan Osenberg
o
Energy Governance in Pakistan – Najamul Saqib Memon
- Barcamp – Pitch and discuss your own topics
- Poster Session – Present and discuss the session results
- "Making the link" – financing, participation and environmental protection
- Pub crawl, Lüneburg city center "Am Stint"
Friday, September 1st
- Reflection, outlook and feedback (635-Method) – Hannes Bluhm
- Issue of certificates and Farewell – Dr. Lars Holstenkamp
Further Hints and Information
As mentioned above, the participants of our SummerSchool Energy can use different ways to stay connected: We will keep using the miro board, we shared an email-list, there is a whatsapp group and a LinkedIn group. If you did not get the information for these, please contact Julia or Jan.
We are also still figuring out how to share the posters and the 365-sheets with you as we cannot overload this page with files. You will hear from us on this matter.
Please note that the summerschoolenergy@leuphana.de email address will be deactivated at the end of this year. If you want to reach us you can use the contact form.
Data protection
Within organizing and carrying out the summer school we need to collect various data:
- In the registration process we collect different personal information to put together a balanced field of participants.
- During the summer school we will take pictures and film parts of the summer school for our joint products
We will make sure to handle your private information with the needed care and to delete all the data after legal deadlines. Please find here the whole data protection declaration. For participating in the summer school you need to agree to this data protection declaration during the application process in the application form.
