How can a turnaround in energy supply be achieved? Which changes are faced by the individuals? “Energy Technologies for the Future” will be in the focus of a citizens workshop organized by KIT in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Research on Tuesday, July 26, Karlsruhe. At this workshop, citizens will have the opportunity to discuss with each other and with experts, to obtain insight, and to make suggestions. Now, interested citizens can register online for participation.
The citizens workshop on KIT Campus South, Englerstrasse 11, building 11.40, Tulla-Hörsaal, will start at 19 hrs. The welcome address by the Head of the Environmental and Energy Research Programs at KIT, Dr. Karl-Friedrich Ziegahn, will be followed by three expert presentations by Dr. Ziegahn, Dr. Dirk Vogeley, Director of the Karlsruhe Energy and Climate Protection Agency (KEK), and Nico Storz, Director of fesa e.V. Then, a discussion and work in groups will follow. An expert will be available as a conversation partner for every group. The citizens will have the opportunity to ask questions and to express expectations and concerns. Finally, the citizens will formulate own recommendations as to how the turnaround in energy supply can be implemented technically and how target conflicts can be solved.
The results of the citizens workshop will be incorporated in the citizens dialog “Energy Technologies for the Future” initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Under the heading of “Einblick gewinnen. Mitreden” (gaining insight, participating), BMBF has established a forum for open, transparent exchange of citizens with science, industry, and politics. The citizens dialog is one of the results of the recommendations made by the ethics commission on “Secure Energy Supply” and the political decision process of the federal government. After all, the turnaround in energy supply concerns us all and is associated with many questions: Which technologies are suited for this purpose? Which prerequisites have to be fulfilled for the technologies required being supported by the persons affected? Which restrictions will be tolerated by the citizens for the turnaround being successful? Which topics should be in the focus of energy research in the future?
Answers of these and other questions will be developed by the citizens together with experts and local decision-makers. The citizens workshop “Energy Technologies” is part of the citizens dialog “Technologies for the Future” initiated by the BMBF. It is designed for a duration of four years and will take place on the internet and organized on a regional basis all over Germany. Finally, the results will be summarized in a citizens report that will be submitted to actors in politics, science, industry, and society.
To obtain an idea about the number of participants to be expected at the citizens workshop in Karlsruhe, interested citizens are asked to register on the website of the citizens dialog “Energy Technologies for the Future” of BMBF at www.buergerdialog-bmbf.de.
Further information on the citizens workshop can be found on KIT’s website http://www.kit.edu/besuchen/7672.php.
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is one of Europe’s leading energy research establishments. The KIT Energy Center pools fundamental research with applied research into all relevant energy sources for industry, households, services, and mobility. Holistic assessment of the energy cycle also covers conversion processes and energy efficiency. The KIT Energy Center links excellent competences in engineering and science with know-how in economics, the humanities, and social science as well as law. The activities of the KIT Energy Center are organized in seven topics: Energy conversion, renewable energies, energy storage and distribution, efficient energy use, fusion technology, nuclear power and safety, and energy systems analysis.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.