International School on Energy Systems (ISES) 2017

About

The energy infrastructure of a country provides a fundamental means for societal development and economic growth. At the same time, resource depletion, environmental pollution and climate change face the societies with the need to critical reflection upon their energy choices. According to present understanding, energy systems comprise the technologies required to materialize the flow of energy from the production of primary energy resources to energy services which meet the demand of the economic sectors. The national energy systems are interlinked by international trade of energy carriers. Over the past century, the trade of fossil energy carriers has become a backbone of the global economy. More recently, broader markets for electricity, e.g. in Europe, have emerged.

Societal formulation of goals like sustainable development and political decision making have led to the idea of managing the transition from present “unsustainable” to future “sustainable” energy systems. The transformation of energy systems in the direction of sustainable energy systems is a multifaceted challenge which requires a societal consensus on the desirable outcome, the means of achieving it, and a willingness to pool the resources toward the realisation of the goal of sustainability. An analytical effort to understand and explain the determinants of the future energy systems and the dynamics of the on-going processes requires a multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary expertise and interdisciplinary skills which are yet not covered by standard academic curricula.

The International School on Energy Systems (ISES 2017) hosted by Forschungszentrum Jülich invites young researchers and young professionals in the fields of energy technologies, economics, political science, and related disciplines to discuss the challenges of present and future energy systems. The major issues of energy systems and the transformation process will be addressed by keynote speakers and discussed by the participants. The research topics of the participants will be presented and discussed during the poster session which includes a poster award.

Course leader

Prof. Jürgen-Friedrich Hake

Target group

The summer school will be attended by young researchers, PhD and MA students as well as young professionals who work in the realm of energy technology, energy economics and energy policy.

Course aim

The goal of the school is to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges which concern today´s and future energy systems as well as the necessity to manage a transformation process towards sustainability.