Energy

Transitioning to clean, affordable energy is crucial not only because of climate change and worsening resource scarcity. Indeed, current energy production models bear other immediate risks to people and the environment. But the needed transition is associated with diverse challenges: in the global South, millions of people rely on biomass – mainly wood and charcoal – to meet basic energy requirements. Industrialized countries, on the other hand, must increase their energy efficiency, reduce consumption, and end their use of fossil fuels and other unsustainable technologies.
CDE investigates the natural potential for biomass energy production in different regions. We combine this data with information on demand for various such energy sources and their possible impacts on the climate.
Ongoing projects
SWEET Lantern: Living Labs – interfaces for the energy transition
Completed projects
BIA — Bioenergy in Africa
First 100% energy self-sustaining protected area in Chile (REPIC)
Local energy transition experiments for a low-carbon society
Prospect of Biomass Energy (ProBE)
Survey of the per-capita consumption of natural resources in Germany
Sustainable Charcoal in Tanzania
Woody invasive alien species in Eastern Africa