Energy transition: ITAS contributes to WEF guidelines

How can the needs of people and the environment be better considered during the transition to renewable energies? The World Economic Forum (WEF) has issued new guidelines on this topic that are also based on the expertise of ITAS researchers.
Personen betrachten Windturbinen bei Sonnenuntergang, Titel: "Scale-up of Clean Power".
One of two WEF publications with guidelines on the energy transition (Source: WEF)

For almost ten years, ITAS researchers have been working in the ENSURE project on the question of how the German electricity grid can be made “fit” for the challenges of the energy transition. They were now able to contribute their knowledge in the field of sustainability assessment and participation to the development of international WEF guidelines. Two guides resulted from the consultations, in which other representatives from science, business, and civil society were also involved: The  C-Suite Guide for Community Engagement and the  WEF Principles for Responsible Deployment of Renewable Energy Infrastructures, which were presented in Davos in January 2025.

These guides provide leaders and organizations investing in or developing renewable energy technologies with the necessary orientation for the future-proof participation of communities (people positive) and sustainable practices (nature positive). Particular attention was paid to the needs of remote municipalities outside global metropolitan areas and the question of how they can be involved equally and meaningfully. The key challenge was finding an appropriate balance between the business requirements for measurability and the regionally and contextually different local conditions observed in research practice. (27.03.2025)

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