CenSES Annual Report 2015

CenSES annual report 2015

CenSES has nine international partners and we are in the

process of involving our international partners more in our

research. At the same time we also want to give our own

researchers international experience. Here you will find some

of the highlights from our international cooperation in 2015.

NorRen Summer School 2015

The Norwegian Research School in Renewable Energy

(NorRen) hosted a summer school in August in partnership

with the Environmental Research Center (FFU) at the Freie

Universität Berlin. 27 students from more than ten nations

and with very different backgrounds worked together for

seven days on an interactive course aimed to understand

energy transformation.

Students participated along with international

academics, and experts from civil societies in lectures, field

trips and debates. One of many highlight was the visit to the

coal mine Geisendorf where participants could observe how

coal is produced, and how this affects the environment.

The Summer School offered insight intoways of analyzing the

ongoing transformation of energy systems – with a particular

focus on the example of the German Energiewende. The

transition involves social, technical, and political processes

and affects industrial, political and scientific stakeholders,

as well as social movements and energy consumers. The

Summer School of 2015 investigated the energy landscape

and solutions proposed by relevant actors, thus involving

students in critical debates and discussions.

International Cooperation

EERA Joint Program - The New European

Energy Research Alliance (EERA) program

E3s

EERA Joint Program - The New European Energy Research

Alliance (EERA) program E3s was approved in June 2013. The

purpose of the joint program is to coordinate research within

European research institutes and universities in the following

subprograms:

• Public perception and engagement

• Analysis of policies and R&D choices

• A life-cycle approach for evaluating the sustainability

performance of energy technologies

• Energy models for a system assessment of European

low-carbon energy futures: markets, environmental and

economic impacts

• Sustainable low carbon platform

CenSES coordinates the subprogram on Public perception

and engagement, lead by Asgeir Tomasgard. The program

has continued on in 2015. International partners in the EERA

Joint program are among others: Technalia, DTU, Austrian

Institute of technology, UKERC, VTT, Aalborg University,

Enea, Vito, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Climate KIC

NTNU recently became a member of Climate KIC, of

several knowledge innovation communities established

by the EU. So far climate KIC has provided a platform

that CenSES researchers have participated in through

workshop presentations, networking, as judges in pitching

competitions for climate related start-ups, and to a minor

degree through teaching in climate KIC courses. In the

following years NTNU will be part of many climate KIC

initiatives, which might produce opportunities both for

CenSES students and staff. Students might participate

in the climate KIC summer school; similar opportunities

might be available for PhD candidates. CenSES staff from

RA 4 innovation will be particularly involved in the Climate

KIC entrepreneurship activities over the coming years,

including incubators and accelerators for start-up

companies.

PhD students attending summer school in Berlin.