Projects of Prof. Dr. Bernd Hirschl

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  PyFlex – Pyrolysis as an intersectoral flexibility measure in the German Energy System

  Biochar can remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store carbon in the long-term. In the pyrolysis production process, biomass residues are converted into coal at high temperatures and in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis also [...] More

• Landgewinn – Energy system analysis of decarbonization strategies in the agricultural sector Economic-ecological assessment of biochar and an additional agricultural decarbonization technology

  Many farms and the German agricultural sector as a whole face the challenge of bringing their energy supply and emissions into line with energy and climate targets in the medium and long term. For years, however, emissions [...] More

• Efficiency and cycle potentials of battery systems in e-mobility Comparative analysis of fully integrated and swappable battery systems

  E-mobility is the megatrend in the mobility sector. Compared to the fossil combustion engine and other alternatives such as hydrogen or e-fuels, it offers significant ecological advantages and is besides a significant [...] More

• Strategies for climate-friendly roofs

  Green roofs or photovoltaics? There currently is a competition of goals for using roof surfaces sustainably: On the one hand, potentials for solar energy should be used as well as possible in order to achieve climate [...] More

• Empirical investigation of the relationship between regional added value, participation models and acceptance in the energy transition

  

  The expansion of renewable energies (EE) is associated with far-reaching changes in the energy system and means a significant intervention in the accustomed living environment at local level. Local people can perceive the [...] More

• Climate Plan Brandenburg Development of a Climate Protection Strategy for the State of Brandenburg

  The Paris Agreement, which is binding under international law and was adopted at the 21st International Climate Change Conference (COP21) in 2015, has provided a new basis for climate protection policy in all countries. [...] More

• UMAS: Underground Methanization in Aquifer Storage

  Gas in the form of methane and hydrogen will very likely be an important source of energy in the future, also in order to compensate for fluctuating renewable energies. Therefore, storage systems are gaining in importance. [...] More

• Mobilizing Endogenous Potentials for Structural Change – Decarbonisation in a Lignite Mining Region DecarbLau

  How can a lignite phase-out be proactively accompanied in a structurally weak region and potentials for endogenous development opened up? This question will be investigated in the research project using Lusatia as an example. [...] More

• Change in perspective Bioeconomy – for more sustainability A dialogue project in the science year 2020/2021

  

  With the bioeconomy topic, the German science year 2020/2021 was dedicated to the transformation from an oil-based to a bio-based form of economy. In times of a rapidly growing world population, dwindling biodiversity and [...] More

• Designetz: A Modular Concept for the Energy Transition From Isolated Solutions to an Efficient Energy System of the Future

  

  The ‘Designetz’ showcase spans North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland. It aims to supply solar and wind energy to urban and industrial consumers. For this purpose numerous demonstration projects are [...] More

• ProPower: System Analysis Power2Products Economic and socio-ecological implications of a cross-sectoral power utilisation

  Achieving climate protection targets requires defossilisation in all sectors and thus a comprehensive transformation of the energy system and industry. Power-to-X technologies use electricity to supply products and provide [...] More

• Making Berlin compliant with the Paris resolutions: Update of the Feasibility Study Climate Neutral Berlin 2050 Feasibility Study

  The Paris Agreement, which is binding under international law, has created a new basis for climate policy in all countries and municipalities. In order to contribute to achieving the goal of limiting anthropogenic global [...] More

• PROSumers for the Energy Union (PROSEU) Mainstreaming active participation of citizens in the energy transition

  

  The focus of PROSEU is the research into, as well as the design of, incentive structures for mainstreaming prosumerism in the European Union, thereby encouraging and safeguarding citizen participation, inclusiveness and [...] More

• Financial participation of affected municipalities in planning, construction and operation of renewable energy plants FinBEE

  Planning, construction and operation of renewable energy plants generate added value and employment. How much of this remains in the region depends heavily on the structure of the project as well as country and region [...] More

• Social-ecological economy within planetary boundaries

  WWF's goal is to develop an attractive and convincing narrative that a more social and ecological economy is urgently needed due to the serious global environmental problems such as the loss of biodiversity, ocean [...] More

• Energy storage services for smart neighbourhoods (Esquire)

  

  For the energy transition it becomes more and more important to storage power decentralized. This way, local produced renewable energy can be consumed flexible while reliving the power grid. An important component are battery [...] More

• Regional flexibilities of prosumers in households and in the commercial sector Determination of regional flexibilities as part of the project „WindNODE – showcasing smart energy systems from northeastern Germany”

  In the decentralised energy transition, it is possible for households, prosumers and businesses to make their energy consumption more flexible. As a result, they can shift their energy demand to times of high supply. This [...] More

• Municipalities in Climate Emergency: Processes, Properties and Focuses

  With the worldwide movement of local communities and municipalities, as well as state and regional governments, to declare a climate emergency, they acknowledge the urgent need for climate protection and initiate or increase [...] More

• Sustainable bioeconomy in Brandenburg – Examples of climate-friendly and environmentally friendly regional value chains

  In April 2014, the Federal State Government of Brandenburg passed its Sustainability Strategy. One of the 16 fields of action focus on the management of „natural resources as the economic potential of a sustainable regional [...] More

• Urban Heat Shift Participatory Transformation of Coupled Infrastructures, Focusing on Heat Supply in Berlin

  

  Almost 50% of final energy consumption in Germany is used for heating, thus heat consumption is an important factor when it comes to tackling global challenges such as climate change, energy efficiency and resource [...] More

• Future Potentials of a Rural Bio-Economy Analysis and Assessment of Value Chains of a Multiple and Cascade Based Usage of Renewable Raw Resources (Phase I)

  A resource-efficient economy based on renewable resources, with less or even no use of fossil resources at all – that is the objective of the German “National Policy Strategy on Bioeconomy”. The German Federal Government [...] More

• AcceptEE - Factors for promoting acceptance of renewable energies

  The acceptance of renewable energies is a central condition for a successful German "Energiewende". Therefore, this project aims to investigate the question whether a nature and environmentally friendly expansion of renewable [...] More

• Carbon-neutral regions as strategic approach for support of sustainable consumption patterns Analysis and development of political recommendations

  The chances of regional policy approaches for climate protection become more and more clear. Strategies like “climate-neutral region” or “100 percent renewable-energy region” are an indicator for promising approaches. The [...] More

• Renewable Energy Projects in Lignite Mining Regions

  The Climate Action Plan 2050 states that the climate protection goals can only be achieved, if there is a gradual reduction of coal-fired power generation. To ensure a bearable development for the affected lignite mining [...] More

• LowExTra – Low-Exergy-Grids for Storing and Distributing Heat at Different Temperature Levels

  The objective of the project is to investigate and develop a new, intelligent and democratic district heating grid. The grid is - in contrast to exisisting district heating systems with one flow line and one return line - [...] More

• IT and Electrical Power Supply: Potentials and Risks of Coupling Regarding Vulnerability and Resilience

  

  With the Energiewende Germany has to arrange a fundamental transformation of the energy system, which will be characterized by a high content of volatile renewable energies. The accompanying fluctuations of the energy supply [...] More

• Added Value of a Regional Energy Transition in the Lusatian and Rhenish Lignite Mining Regions Value-Added and Employment Potentials by the Expansion of Photovoltaics and Wind Energy

  For the launch of a new green power tariff in May 2017, Greenpeace Energy commissioned the IÖW to conduct a brief study. The aim of the study was to analyze potential value-added and employment effects in 2030 by the [...] More

• Brief study on a re-design for the existing EEG cost apportionment

  In a brief study, resulting effects of a change in the distribution mechanism of the costs for the EEG apportionment were examined. The re-design proposed an extension of the basis for the EEG apportionment which not only [...] More

• Determination of the Value-Added and Employment Effects in Three Selected Bioenergy Regions

  With the competition „Bioenergy Regions“, the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection aims to promote regional structures in the field of bioenergy. As part of the accompanying research of this [...] More

• Expansion of renewable energies Impacts within an integrated socio-economic and ecological overview analysis

  With the "Energiewende" Germany is on the way towards a fundamental transformation of the energy sytem with the future focus on renewable energies. Especially the substitution of fossil fuels - as source of greenhouse gas [...] More

• Private Households as New Key Actors in the Energy System's Transformation Process

  Private households are increasingly in the spotlight not only as consumers but also as a provider of innovative generated power. The applications of renewable generated power become even more diverse and engage in the classic [...] More

• Berlin's Energy and Climate Protection Program

  Berlin's Senate has set the agenda for transforming Germany's capital towards climate-neutrality until 2050. The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) has already been involved in the feasibility study [...] More

• Analysis of Economic, Technical and Environmental Benefits of Energy Storage Systems in Grid-connected Photovoltaic Systems

  This project analysed the potential economic, technical and environmental benefits of energy storage systems in grid-connected photovoltaic systems in domestic households by investigating the following questions:   In [...] More

• Internet-Based Value-Added Calculator 2.0

  The German Renewable Energies Agency (AEE) developed an internet-based calculation tool in cooperation with the IÖW and on behalf of the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) to determine the local value-added effects for the [...] More

• Climate change in Germany: Adaptive capacity and tranformation paths towards a resilient society

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• A brief study on the impacts of the 2014 amendment for the German Renewable Energies Act on value added and employment until 2020

  Against the background of the scheduled amendment of the Renewable Energies Act this year and the related cabinet decision on April, 9th 2014 the brief study shall reveal the impacts on value added and employment until 2020 [...] More

• Feasibility Study "Carbon neutral Berlin 2050"

  The new government of the German capital Berlin wants to be a pioneer on climate change among the major cities around the globe. The elaboration of the feasibility study "Carbon neutral Berlin 2050" on behalf of the Senate [...] More

• Value Added by Renewable Energies - Calculation of the Effects on State and Federal Level

  Value added by renewable energies (RE) is an important argument for political decision-makers on different spatial scales. In the study “Local value added by renewable energy technologies”, the Institute for Ecological [...] More

• Value-Added and Employment Effects by the Expansion of Renewable Energies

  In the last few years, the IÖW has published a series of studies on the quantification of value added and employment by renewable energies. On behalf of Greenpeace Deutschland, the IÖW has updated value added and employment [...] More

• FAIR FUELS? A socio-ecological multi-level Analysis of the Possibilities of and Limits to the international Use of Biofuels Thematic Research Group

  The project “FAIR FUELS?” addresses the question of the extent to which biofuels can be produced and used in a socio-ecologically compatible manner. Since biofuels are produced regionally but the products and raw materials [...] More

• Impacts of the Expansion Plans for Renewable Energies until 2020 on Value Added and Employment

  Prior to the energy summit of the German federal government and the states on November 2nd, 2012, the German government proposed to limit support for wind energy and bioenergy generation similar to the cap imposed on the [...] More

• Research Activities and Core Competences Regarding Renewable Energy from Biomass and Wind Power in Berlin-Brandenburg

  In 2011, the Brandenburg Economic Development Board (ZAB) organized a conference with regional stakeholders from the energy sector to discuss and prioritize measures to support the further development in this sector. One of [...] More

• Investigation and support of two model communities for the assessment of municipal value added

  The Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection commissioned the IÖW to calculate the value added of renewable energies of two local authorities in the German State [...] More

• Revision of "Blue Angel" regulations in the field of heating rooms and buildings

  The German ecolabel “Blue Angel” (“Der Blaue Engel”) has been applied to environmentally friendly products since 1978. Space heating systems that have been awarded the Blue Angel are particularly efficient and low on [...] More

• Renewable Energies in Brandenburg 2030 - Expansion Potential and Value-added Effects

  Brandenburg seeks to reduce its energy-related CO2 emissions by 40 percent in 2020 compared to the year 1990. Furthermore, CO2 reductions of another 35 percent are planned until 2030. To achieve these objectives, the [...] More

• Development of an internet-based calculator to determine the local value added of renewable energies

  The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) carried out the study "Local Value Added through Renewable Energies" between April and September 2010. The project was conducted on behalf of the German Renewable Energy [...] More

• Value Added by Renewable Energies in the German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg

  The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector commissioned the IÖW to calculate the value added and employment effects of renewable energies in the federal state of [...] More

• Effects of self-consumption and grid parity of photovoltaic systems

  Many actors in the photovoltaic (PV) industry often proclaim the forthcoming “grid parity” as an important moment in the market development of PV. However, the exact meaning of this terminus and its potential effects on [...] More

• Value added and employment creation of renewable energies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 2010 and 2030

  The IÖW develops in conjunction with the Center for Technology and Society (CTS), TU Berlin, and Rostock Energie-Umwelt-Beratung e.V./Institut (EUB) as part of a scientific study, a mission statement for "Mecklenburg-Western [...] More

• Value added and employment effects of wind energy in Baden-Wuerttemberg in the years 2010 and 2020

  Greenpeace commissioned the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW, Berlin) to determine value added and employment effects of wind energy (onshore) in Baden-Wuerttemberg for the years 2010 und 2020. Additionally, the [...] More

• Stakeholder Dialogues: Adaptation to Climate Change

  Six stakeholder dialogues are conducted that aim at discussing challenges resulting from climate change and possible adaptation strategies. The dialogues are organised on different topics such as coastal areas (May 2009), [...] More

• Evaluation of heating surveys from a campaign of CO2online Target groups and buildings, consumer satisfaction and effect of the measure

  Based on a short questionaire and the last heat cost billing CO2online compiles heating surveys for landlords and lodgers. Due to the heat cost billing and the reply of the questionaire, the heating survey includes [...] More

• Investments of Germany's four big energy companies in the field of renewable energies - update 2010

  The big four German energy suppliers - E.ON, RWE, Vattenfall and EnBW - are also committed to developing renewable energies. This impression is at least supported by television commercials, billboards and other marketing [...] More

• Energy-efficient modernisation of the housing stock of detached and semi-detached houses (Enef house)

  Domestic space heating and hot water account for over a quarter of final energy requirements in Germany. An energy-efficiency refurbishment of buildings could reduce this energy consumption and the related CO2 emissions by up [...] More

• Local value added by renewable energy technologies

  Communities are important drivers in the development of renewable energies. They can benefit at the same time because, as a rule, previously imported energy feedstocks or final energy will be replaced by local energy sources, [...] More

• Potentials of renewable energy sources in Berlin 2020 and in the long term - Quantification and generation of measures to reach ambitious expansion targets

  The city of Berlin is developing an integrated energy concept for 2020. In cooperation with the Berlin Energy Agency the IOEW will identify realizable technical potentials for renewable energy sources up until 2020 and [...] More

• EXPEED - Export potential from services for renewable energies service categories, lead market potentials and the development of internationalisation strategies

  Renewable energy sources are a national and international growth market. In particular, countries with so-called lead markets which are quick to develop successful export strategies can hope to achieve long-term employment [...] More

• Dendrom - Future perspectives of wooden biomass (so called "dendromass")

  Currently a rapidly growing demand for biomass (largely due to energetic usage like electric power, heat and bio fuels but also material usage like wood materials and paper) is meeting a falling supply of adequate resources [...] More

• Current energy and climate policy framework conditions (international, EU, Germany)

  The short study constitutes a contribution to the development of an energy and climate protection strategy for Vodafone. In the context of a background paper for the company Vodafone AG, the IÖW described the energy and [...] More

• Global Governance and Climate Change Analysis of the Conditions, Risks and Chances of Social-Ecological Transformations

  This research project aims to explore the particular features of global-local governance that are nowadays so distinctive in the field of climate change. These features include the complex relationships between global, [...] More

• PVACCEPT - Improving photovoltaic acceptability through innovative architectural design.

  The research and developement projekt PVACCEPT (funded by EU) is investigating the thesis about about the role of non-technical and non-economical factors that influence the diffusion of photovoltaics, especially the role of [...] More

• Development of policy instruments for increased use of renewable energy sources in heat production

  The project aims at the assessment of policy instruments which target the increased use of renewable energy sources for heat production. Within the project, we will select an appropriate set of policy instruments and give [...] More

• Market- and cost-development of renewable energies - second analysis of the renewable energy act

  The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which came into force on 1st April 2000, is intended to promote the development of renewable energy sources for the generation of electricity as a central element in climate [...] More

• The German Photovoltaics Industry Industry report 2003/2004

  Photovoltaics in Germany has experienced a boom since 2000 thanks to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) in conjunction with the 100,000 roofs solar power programme, which ran between 1999 and mid-2003. With the [...] More

• Sustainable Consumption as building block of an Integrated Product Policy (IPP) - Development of Guidelines for co-operations of stakeholders Entwicklung von Handlungsempfehlungen für Akteurskooperationen

  Sustainable development means an improvement of the environmental features of products and services and an environmental orientation of consumer behavious. Governmental measures alone are not sufficient to reach this [...] More

• Potential Applications of Nanotechnology based materialsPart 2: Analysis of the ecologic, social and legal aspects Teilgebiet 2: Analyse ökologischer, sozialer und rechtlicher Aspekte

  The Project "Potential Applications of Nanotechnology based materials, Part 2: Analysis of the ecologic, social and legal aspects" is commissioned by the TAB (Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament). The aim [...] More

• Fuel Cells - a Future Technology?

  Fuel cells are expected to contribute exceedingly to environmental improvements. However, both the successful diffusion of fuel cells and their environmental benefits are highly influenced by non-technical aspects. This study [...] More

• German Photovoltaics Industry - Branchreport 2002 Branchenreport 2002

  The study focuses on the situation and development of the German Photovoltaics-Industry using actual indicators of the branch. The data (and derived indicators) was mainly gained from statistical surveys (field research). [...] More