The European Institute for Energy Research EIFER in Karlsruhe focuses on “Sustainable Cities” and “Regional Energy Solutions”. The institute founded jointly by the French utility company EDF and KIT combines fundamental research with research tailored to the needs of industry. On Tuesday, March 27, EIFER will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a scientific event starting at 11 hrs and a ceremony at 18 hrs. Representatives of the media are cordially invited.
The leading French utility company Électricité de France SA (EDF) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) established EIFER in September 2001 as a European economic interest group. Today, the international multidisciplinary team of EIFER consists of 110 employees. In cooperation with the Research and Development Department of EDF, KIT, and other European research institutions, the scientists working at EIFER study the challenges associated with tomorrow’s energy systems. Sustainable development of cities and regions is to be promoted by a holistic approach. Research activities concentrate on the areas of “Energy, Cities, and Territories,” “Energy Resources and Decentralized Production”, and “Economics of Energy Systems and the Environment.” Among the topics covered are urban systems, bioenergy, fuel cells, energy systems analysis, and climate change.
EIFER will celebrate its 10th anniversary and the successful partnership of EDF and KIT on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, in Karlsruhe. A scientific event at 11 hrs will comprise presentations, a poster exhibition, as well as guided tours at the KIT Environmental Research Center (FZU), the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), and EIFER. The program of the ceremony at 18 hrs includes welcome addresses and a discussion about EIFER and the challenges associated with sustainable cities and regional energy solutions.
Program:
Scientific Program
11.00 Welcome
KIT Tulla Hörsaal (Building 11.40, Englerstraße 11,
Karlsruhe)
11.30 Speeches by:
Professor Rainer Reimert, KIT;
Pierre-Louis Viollet, EDF R&D
Presentation of research activities of EIFER by:
Jean Copreaux, Director EIFER, and the
Management Team of EIFER
Exhibition: Posters of EIFER
Lunch
13.30 EIFER Tour
KIT Laboratories at the Environmental Research Center
Geothermal Labs (AGK) and FC-TESTLAB (IWE)
Fraunhofer Institute ICT, Berghausen:
Biogas Lab, Fuel Cell and Electrolysis Lab
EIFER Institute at the
Technologie Park Karlsruhe (TPK):
Presentation of topics: “Sustainable Cities” and
“Environmental Economics”
Official Ceremony
EIFER 2.0 Event
Palazzo (Liststraße 18, Karlsruhe)
18.00 Welcome: Cocktail Reception
Exhibition: “City of the Future” – Drawings from the
European School Karlsruhe
19.00 Speeches by:
Jean Copreaux, Director EIFER
Bernard Salha, Director EDF R&D
Dr. Peter Fritz, Vice President for Research and
Innovation, KIT
Norbert Käthler, Geschäftsführer Stadtmarketing Karlsruhe
Round table discussion with partners:
The role of EIFER in key topics for the future –
“Sustainable Cities” and “Regional Energy Solutions”
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.
Research, education, and innovation at KIT foster the energy turnaround and reorganization of the energy system in Germany. Clear priorities lie in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energies, energy stores and grids, electromobility, and enhanced international cooperation in research.
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.