Germany’s Energy Transition: Any Lessons for North America?2Hermann Ott 043013

Tuesday, April 30th, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Darden-Classroom 170

Lunch provided

Please RSVP to Allison Elias

(eliasa@darden.virginia.edu)

Germany has set aggressive renewable energy targets as well as goals for phasing out the use of nuclear energy. Dr. Hermann Ott, scientist and member of the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) for the Green Party will join us for a discussion about Germany’s energy transition. He will also answer questions about potentially lessons for North America, as well as international collaborations to address climate change.

Born in 1961, Dr. Ott studied law and politics at universities in Munich, London and Berlin, attaining a doctorate in jurisprudence in 1997. He worked as a defense lawyer and attorney from 1992 to 1994, joined the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Energy and Environment as a Senior Research Fellow in 1994 and later served as Director of its Climate Policy Division. From 2004 to 2009, he was the Head of the Wuppertal Institute’s Berlin office. From November 2000 to June 2001 he served on the Policy Planning Staff of the Foreign Federal Office in Berlin. Author and co-author of numerous books and articles on climate policy, environmental policy and global governance, Dr. Ott had been a member of the Supervisory Board of Greenpeace Germany from 2001 to 2007.

Dr. Ott will discuss the challenges and successes of Germany’s energy revolution, and his vision for how distributed generation by solar and wind energy enables democratization of energy resources.  Bring your questions about traditional energy sources, business model challenges and opportunities for solar and wind companies, climate science and more!

IBiS is holding this event in collaboration with the Boell Foundation and U.Va.’s Center for German Studies.