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Case study 4. Lifelong Learning with the â Education and Training Paths by WKOâ (Austrian Economic Chambers). (DOCX 181 kb)

Case study 6. How Learning Materials based on regional Challenges can help to build Communities for the Energy Transition. (DOCX 39 kb)

Case study 1. Co-operative Learning Formats â an important Link in the Chain to implement the SET Plan. (DOCX 45 kb)

Case study 2. Experiences of BET Lecturers with Co-operative Learning Formats. (DOCX 37 kb)

Table S1. Existing co-operative dual studies with masterâ s programmes in Europe. (DOCX 41 kb)

Case study 5. Professional Online Learning at InnoEnergy â A lean Approach to Creating activating Online & Blended Learning. (DOCX 307 kb)

Case study 3. Requirements and potential Benefits for the Industry from Cooperative Learning Formats with HEIs. (DOCX 39 kb)

Case study 7. Benefits and Requirements for Regional Administration from Co-operative Learning Formats with Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs). (DOCX 37 kb)

Although it is still not warranted to speak about the end of the fossil age, we certainly witness a trend towards renewable sources for energy and material. Properties of bio-resources however differ vastly from fossil as well as other renewable resources. They are storable, mainly de-central in their provision, have usually weak logistic properties and face severe competition from various sectors, in particular from the vital food sector. A stronger reliance on bio-resources to support the European energy system as well as to provide raw materials for conversion to material products therefore raises technical, societal and environmental issues that have to be resolved if a bio-economy is to become a viable development pathway.

Deux Symposiums internationaux ont eu lieu, à Graz en octobre 1998 et à Joensuu en septembre 1999 sur le thème du développement régional durable, avec le soutien de la Commission européenne sous les présidences européennes respectives de l'Autriche et de la Finlande. Ce troisième Symposium organisé sur le thème "Recherche et Développement Régional Durable" visait à mettre en relation les acteurs du développement régional et les chercheurs, en insistant sur la spécificité de l'échelon régional dans les questions de développement durable et sur la coopération nécessaire entre les différentes disciplines de recherche concernées, mais aussi entre chercheurs et acteurs du développement durable. Le symposium a été une occasion de présenter les résultats des projets de recherche financés dans le cadre du 4ème et du 5ème Programme Cadre européen. Mais aussi les résultats d'expériences pilotes, notamment les expériences de promotion du développement durable au travers des Fonds structurels européens, ou les projets concernant la gestion intégrée des zones côtières. Two European Symposium have taken place, in Graz in October 1998 and in Joensuu in September 1999 on the subject of sustainable regional development. The Symposium were supported by the European Commission and the respective Austrian and Finnish Presidencies. The Third Symposium "Regions-Cornerstones for Sustainable Development" will draw upon the results obtained previously, bringing together key-actors of regional development and researchers. A special focus will be put on the specificity of the regional level in relation to sustainable development issues, and on the necessary cooperation among research fields and disciplines, as well as between researchers and the actors of regional development The symposium was the occasion to present the results of the projects pursued under the 4th and 5th European Framework Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration and the results from pilot projects : in particulars those undertaken to promote sustainable development through the Community Structural Funds and in the Coastal Areas.

La discussion qui s’est ouverte à l’issue de la présentation des orateurs a notamment permis d’aborder les points suivants : Les obstacles à la mise en œuvre d’un développement durable : on ne met pas assez l’accent sur les obstacles à la mise en œuvre et à la diffusion du développement durable. On peut envisager des avancées en terme méthodologique, en terme d’indicateur, en terme d’évaluation, ou de partenariat. Mais il semble y avoir un obstacle majeur, que l’on ne souligne pas assez, c’es...

Background The focus of the paper is on scenario studies that examine energy systems. This type of studies is usually based on formal energy models, from which energy policy recommendations are derived. In order to be valuable for strategic decision-making, the comprehensibility of these complex scenario studies is necessary. We aim at highlighting and mitigating the problematic issue of lacking transparency in such model-based scenario studies. Methods In the first part of the paper, the important concept of transparency in the context of energy scenarios is introduced. In the second part, we develop transparency criteria based on expert judgement. The set of selected criteria is structured into ‘General Information’, ‘Empirical Data’, ‘Assumptions’, ‘Modeling’, ‘Results’, and ‘Conclusions and Recommendations’. Based on these criteria, a transparency checklist is generated. Results The proposed transparency checklist is not intended to measure the quality of energy scenario studies, but to deliver a tool which enables authors of energy scenario studies to increase the level of transparency of their work. The checklist thus serves as a standardized communication protocol and offers guidance for interpreting these studies. A reduced and a full version of the checklist are provided. The former simply lists the transparency criteria and can be adopted by authors with ease; the latter provides details on each criterion. We also illustrate how the transparency checklist may be applied by means of examples. Conclusions We argue that transparency is a necessary condition for a reproducible and credible scenario study. Many energy scenario studies are at present characterized by an insufficient level of transparency. In essence, the checklist represents a synthesizing tool for improving their transparency. The target group of this work is experts, in their role of authors and/or readers of energy scenario studies. By applying the transparency checklist, the authors of energy scenario studies signal their commitment to a high degree of transparency, in consonance with scientific standards.

Although the objectives of the Energiewende (energy transition) are broadly accepted in Germany, the practical ways of achieving them remain highly contentious. In particular, the question of whether and how security of supply can be guaranteed over the course of this profound transformation of the energy system is currently the subject of controversy in the scientific and public debate. Recently, calls for additional payments to power plant operators for providing generation capacity have grown increasingly loud. But the introduction of capacity payments of this sort could have far-reaching consequences for the future organisation of Germany’s electricity supply. Therefore, the political decision on this issue - which is scheduled for this year - should not be made without a sound scientific analysis. Basically, measures aimed at guaranteeing security of supply must address the possible causes of capacity shortages as broadly as possible. When designing such measures, besides security of supply, additional objectives such as cost-effectiveness and the environmental and social acceptability of electricity supply should also be taken into account. Capacity payments only partially meet these requirements. Moreover, once introduced, they are difficult to adapt, or revise even, to suit changing framework conditions. This is particularly problematic in view of the current lack of clear evidence for future security of supply problems. Therefore, introducing capacity payments at this point in time would not appear to be constructive. It would make more sense to introduce instead a mix of measures which would strengthen the electricity market, create conditions for feeding in electricity from renewable energy sources as and when required, and set incentives for the expansion of grid capacity, storage systems and demand side management. Should security of supply still appear uncertain under these changed framework conditions, the introduction of a strategic reserve, which would be held by the regulatory authority or the transmission system operator, is recommended - not, however, the creation of an entirely new, additional market segment in the form of a capacity market.

Although the goals of the country ’ s energy transition ( Energiewende ) are widely accepted in Germany, the specific route to get there is itself a matter of great controversy. The individual measures that are part of the energy transition policy and the questions of how they interact and how they are embedded in the European context are objects of controversial scientific and public debate. Most recently, the consequences for the price of electricity have, in particular, been discussed intensely. Against this backdrop of wide-ranging criticism, the future course for promoting renewable energy will soon be set. The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (the Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, EEG), which is the main instrument of energy transition policy with its feed-in tariffs, is supposed to be fundamentally revised in the course of this year. A precondition for achieving a coherent further development of the energy transition policy and for receiving the sound support of a critical public is that the long-term consequences of political decisions on a complex sociotechnical energy system be taken into account. The requirements of such a system are not satisfied by policy approaches or recommendations that target short-term effects or that are perceptions of problems extrapolated from individual sectors. On the basis of its integrated researc h on the energy transition, researchers from the Helmholtz Alliance Energy-Trans take a stand on current important controversial issues from the energy transformation and specify fundamental challenges to shaping a sustainable energy transition policy.

Jordan’s high dependence on imported energy is a serious ecological and economic problem. It is currently importing almost all of its primary energy, mostly in the form of oil and natural gas. These figures are not sustainable in the long run and such a high level of dependence on imported energy is unnecessary for a country as rich in renewable energy sources such as Jordan. This paper will present the possibilities for the integration of renewable energy, namely wind and solar, in Jordan’s current energy system using the EnergyPLAN model. It will show the impact of higher penetrations of renewables on the production of critical excess electricity, CO2 emissions and cost of the system, both with and without energy storage.