Recent and Upcoming News and Events

2023 RLS-Sciences Digital Week
24-28 April, 2023, online

The third RLS-Sciences Digital Week was held online from 24-28 April under the theme “Shandong in RLS-Sciences: Forward from Herrsching”. The 2023 Digital Week aimed to expand and develop the scientific exchanges and work started last September in Herrsching, Bavaria, and to and to create a platform for RLS-Sciences partners to learn more about the Shandong research and development ecosystem. The 2023 Digital Week had a special focus on the partner region Shandong. This year, Shandong is hosting the Regional Leaders Summit.  
 
Over forty researchers shared insights with over one hundred participants into innovative research on new materials for aerospace and energy production, international projects on green hydrogen and artificial photosynthesis, clinical cooperation projects on machine learning and big data in healthcare, modelling for the future of regional air mobility, Earth observation missions to generate much-needed data on environmental changes, and more. These included seventeen Shandong experts from thirteen institutes, companies, and universities, who presented in dedicated blocks throughout the 2023 Digital Week.  Participants joined from across the RLS partner regions, and all sessions included researchers from other thematic groups, carrying on the interdisciplinary exchanges which began at the 2022 Overall RLS-Sciences Conference in Herrsching last September.

Photo Credit: WKS Bavaria-Québec/Alberta/International, 2023

As part of the 2023 RLS-Sciences Digital Week, the Energy Network met for a virtual two hour session to exchange on “Mitigating Climate Change: a regional perspective on challenges and opportunities in the energy transition”. This work was undertaken in continuity with the exchanges begun in Herrsching, Bavaria at the 2022 RLS-Sciences Overall Conference. Key themes presented by regional experts included a wide variety of aspects related to hydrogen, including new materials and production methods as well as regulatory and social issues. Artificial photosynthesis was a new topic for the network, while biofuels remained a key focus.

The next RLS-Sciences Overall Conference will be hosted by Québec in 2024.
 
Review the 2023 Digital Week Program here.
RLS-Sciences partners can access the 2023 Digital Section of the RLS-Sciences Resource Library here.

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RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2022
18-21 September, 2022 in Herrsching, Bavaria

The RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2022 took place in Herrsching, Bavaria from 18th- 21st September 2022, hosted by Bavaria. Altogether, 76 participants from five RLS partner regions joined to exchange within and between the RLS-Sciences themes (Renewable Energy, Aerospace, Small Satellites, Digitalization, and Digital Health). During the pandemic, the network created a transition scenario and met all together virtually in June 2021 and April 2022 for the RLS-Sciences Digital Weeks. This new format bridged the time between the in-person conferences. The RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2022 also marked the official launch of the “RLS-Digital Health Initiative” as the fifth RLS-Sciences group, after a preparatory phase and first exchanges in 2020 and 2021.

The RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2022 followed in the model of the inaugural RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2019, hosted by FAPESP and INPE in São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo. The conferences create an opportunity for the entire RLS-Sciences network to meet in person, deepening work in person and exchanging with other groups in joint interdisciplinary sessions.

The next RLS-Sciences Overall Conference 2024 will be hosted by Québec.
 
Review the 2022 program here.

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RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022
4-8 April, 2022 online and in Munich, Bavaria

The RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022 took place online from 4th- 8th April 2022, hosted by Bavaria. Over the course of the week, the RLS-Sciences Network met virtually for 2 hours each day. Altogether, 112 participants from all seven RLS partner regions joined to listen to over 30 speakers who shared their expertise on advanced air mobility, energy security and systems resilience, data-use possibilities for pico-satellites, and regional digital health initiatives. The overarching theme for the week was “Sustainable and Resilient Regional Recoveries”.

Photo Credit: WKS Bayern-Québec/Alberta/International, 2022

The RLS-Sciences Digital Week model was established during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the first Digital Week in June 2021. The Digital Week will continue as a fixture in RLS-Sciences in years to come, to create a dedicated opportunity for virtual exchange which complements the in-person conferences, and to retain accessibility gained during the increase in virtual activities over the last three years.

RLS-Sciences will next meet all together in September, at the invitation of Bavaria.
 
Review the RLS-Sciences April Digital Week 2022 program here.

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RLS-Sciences at the 10th Regional Leaders Summit, hosted by Upper Austria
11 November, 2021, online and in Linz

On 11 November, 2021, at the 10th Regional Leaders' Summit on "Smart Regions" hosted by Upper Austria, RLS-Sciences was presented to the Heads of Government as part of the virtual conference program. In a presentation developed by Dr. Sebastian Goers (Upper Austria), president of RLS-Sciences with the support of Dr. Florence Gauzy (Bavaria), lead management partner, and Fiona Rumohr, regional administrative coordinator (Bavaria), the achievements and developments in the RLS-Sciences network since 2018 were shown. These included growth in the size of the network, a series of academic publications, new joint projects out of and supported by the 4+1 research groups, new online courses with thousands of learners, and the first steps toward a new RLS-Sciences research group in digital health. Review the presentation here, and the corresponding overview here.
 
Further aspects of the 10th Summit included a presentation on "Smart Regions" from the Upper Austrian Academy of the Future, and political statements from the regions (Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong, Upper Austria, and Western Cape). Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer passed the chair of RLS for the next period to Shandong, and Shandong Vice-Governor Ji Binchang announced that the theme for the next RLS will be "Green Development". 
 
To read more about the 10th Regional Leaders' Summit, visit the website here. 
Québec hosted the 9th Regional Leaders’ Summit in 2019. Please find the Québec political statement here.
To download the RLS-Sciences presentation to the Heads of Government, click here.  

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New publication from the RLS-Energy Network on smart campuses
31 August, 2021

Coordinated by Laval University and including authors from all seven RLS partner regions, the article "Smart Campuses: Extensive Review of the Last Decade of Research and Current Challenges" has been published in IEEE Xplore. The review assesses 182 publications from 2010 to 2020 and identifies seven aspects of "smartness" for smart campuses.

According to the abstract, "seven categories of smartness: smart building, smart environment, smart mobility, smart living, smart people, smart governance and smart data. The main open questions and challenges regarding smart campuses are presented at the end of the review and deal with sustainability and energy transition, acceptability and ethics, learning models, open data policies and interoperability."

Graphic depiction of the seven identified categories of smartness for smart campuses.

Download the paper (open access) here.

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RLS-Energy Network at the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021
15 June, 2021 online and in Munich

On Tuesday, 15 June, the RLS-Energy Network met as part of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 to exchange on ‘’Energy Modelling and Systems’’. The collection, curation, and analysis of data has long been a key topic for the Energy Network, making the connection between the Tuesday session and the overall conference theme of "Data as a Resource for the Regions" a natural fit. Experts from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong, and Upper Austria provided “impulse presentations” on issues ranging from big data analysis for climate change and energy transitions to smart grids and new energy sources like hydrogen through to regional modelling with life cycle analysis tools and biofuels as well as macro and socioeconomic indicators. In a second part, the participants exchanged on the first steps to build a joint vision on a “data marketplace”. Such a marketplace would facilitate interdisciplinary exchange of data to build more comprehensive models and offer the opportunity for researchers to investigate questions in a more comprehensive way, through access to data that is created or held by other disciplines than their own. This work builds upon the SWOT Analysis and the Monitoring Report. 

Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences Online Conference 2021 here.

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New publication: The Role of Renewable Energy in Regional Energy Transitions
8 January, 2021

The RLS-Energy Network is pleased to announce the publication of an article in Sustainability, based on its SWOT Analysis. The paper identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of renewable energy deployment in regional energy transitions for the seven RLS partner regions. The paper represents a significant output of the entire Energy Network, with co-authors from five regions, and contributions from all seven regions.

As mandated by the RLS Heads of Government in 2018 in Québec, the RLS-Energy Network is working on identifying best practices for regional energy transitions. The publication builds on the existing work of the Energy Network, including the 2018 Monitoring Report which aggregated key data on renewable energy in the regions, as well as the SWOT Analysis Technical Report, which was completed in 2020. Throughout the evolution of the work, key connections have been maintained with the political level of RLS-Sciences.

The Monitoring Report was presented to the Heads of Government at the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec, and a summary of the SWOT Analysis Technical Report was presented at the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19. The publication in Sustainability is in continuity with these efforts, as it includes recommendations for policy makers.

Read the paper here (PDF) or here (online version).
Read the SWOT Analysis Technical Report here (PDF).

RLS-Energy Network at the RLS Virtual Round Table on COVID-19
15 September, 2020, virtual and live in Linz, Upper Austria

As part of the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19, the Upper Austrian government convened a Virtual Roundtable on RLS-Sciences and COVID-19 on 15 September, 2020. The Virtual Roundtable included a dedicated RLS-Sciences session embedded within it, featuring inputs from all seven regions and all four RLS-Sciences groups (Energy, Aerospace, Small Satellites, Digitalization). Each RLS-Sciences group gave a presentation from their respective field on the topic of COVID-19 and regional crisis management, challenges, opportunities, and best practices.  

Review the programme here. 

Read the RLS-Sciences symposium booklet here.

Read a summary of the RLS-Sciences activities at the RLS Virtual Symposium on COVID-19 here.

Learn more about RLS-Sciences here.

Watch the RLS Virtual Round Table on COVID-19 here (Part 1), here (Part 2), and here (Part 3). 

Watch the RLS-Energy Network input to the RLS Virtual Round Table on COVID-19 starting at 0:16:40 (Credit: Government of Upper Austria). 

RLS-Energy Network at the Forum Econogy
14 September, 2020, virtual and live in Linz, Upper Austria

The Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler University Linz hosted its 2020 Forum Econogy on 14 September, 2020 with a combined virtual-and-live event. This year's Forum Econogy was on the theme: "Big Challenges / Common Solutions -No recovery without a sustainable energy system". As part of this year's event, there was a dedicated RLS-Energy Network session, featuring presentations from Bavaria, Georgia, Québec, São Paulo, and Western Cape. The session was recorded, and can be viewed below (the RLS-Energy Network session starts at time 1:07:20).

Introduction to the RLS-Energy Network (starts at 1:07:20)
Dr. Sebastian Goers (Energieinstitut at the JKU Linz, Upper Austria)

Research for Future Energy Systems (starts at 1:15:16)
Prof. Hartmut Spliethoff, Dr. Sebastian Fendt (Technical University of Munich, Bavaria)

Resource recovery and and renewable energy production with smart governance and people (starts at 1:32:15)
Prof. Simon Barnabé (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec)

Energy transition in Brazil with social inclusion and gender equity (starts at 1:41:10)
Prof. Gilberto Jannuzzi (UNICAMP, IEI Brazil, São Paulo)

Carbon footprint reduction through economic development (starts at 1:55:28)
Costas Simoglou (Georgia Center of Innovation for Energy Technology, Georgia)

Enabling green economic recovery through the adoption of alternative energy in a post-COVID-19 Western Cape (starts at 2:05:26)
Reshmi Wolvers (GreenCape, Western Cape)

Review the programme here.
Read about the 2020 Forum Econogy here and learn more about the Energieinstitut at the JKU Linz here.

Hydrogen Research Institute in Québec presents at EUSEW: "Boosting the hydrogen economy through international cooperation"
22-26 June, 2020

The EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) took place virtually from 22-26 June, 2020 with the theme: ‘Beyond the crisis: clean energy for green recovery and growth’. As part of the panel, "Boosting the hydrogen economy through international cooperation", Prof. Pierre Bénard of the Québec Hydrogen Research Institute at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières presented "Hydrogen Perspectives in Québec", which included an overview of the cooperation activities at his institute, including those with the RLS-Energy Network.

Watch the entire session here, or head directly to Prof. Bénard's presentation here.

DanuP-2-Gas wins Interreg competition
20 June, 2020, Landshut, Bavaria

The proposal for DanuP-2-Gas has won a European Transnational Cooperation competition - known as Interreg. Led by the Centre for Energy Technology at Landshut University of Applied Sciences (Bavaria), the consortium also includes the Energieinstitut at JKU Linz (Upper Austria). The project’s objective is to increase energy security in the Danube region through advanced sector coupling to allow the increased use of biofuels (unused organic residues) and renewables (used to produce hydrogen), which then together can be used to create upgraded syngas through biological methanation. The project aims to further increase transnational synergies in energy planning, creating hubs for the advanced sector coupling throughout the region.
 
Learn more about the Centre for Energy Technology here.
Learn more about Interreg here.

New Chair of Municipal Research for Sustainable Cities at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
2 June, 2020, Trois-Rivières, Québec

The Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (UQTR) has created a new research chair: the Municipal Research Chair for Sustainable Cities. Simon Barnabé has been selected as the inaugural holder of the new chair, which holds an initial investment of 300 000 $CA over three years.

Read more here (French).

Nineteen RLS-Energy Network young researchers at the World Sustainable Energy Days 2020
4-6 March, 2020, Wels, Upper Austria

As part of its ongoing support for young researchers, the RLS-Energy Network invited its members to encourage young researchers from their networks to apply to the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference at the World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) in Wels, Upper Austria. The WSED is an event comprised of 6 parallel conferences, including the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference, a trade show, and workshops. WSED is attended by industry actors, public agency representatives, and researchers, with attendance of over 600 participants from 50 or more countries each year. The Young Energy Researchers Conference (YERC) is designed to offer young energy researchers the opportunity to present their work in a dedicated forum, while also creating opportunities for them to interact with experts from industry and academia. This year, the YERC was held from 4-5 March, and had two themes: energy efficiency and biomass. Nineteen young RLS-Energy Network researchers from four RLS regions (Bavaria, Québec, São Paulo, Upper Austria) successfully applied to showcase their work either as an oral or poster presentation.

At the invitation of the WSED organizers, the Upper Austrian Energy Agency, young researchers from the RLS regions met with representatives of the Upper Austrian government, RLS-Sciences, and the Upper Austrian Energy Agency. The young researchers were able to hear about the Regional Leaders Summit, RLS-Sciences, and the Energy Network, and exchanged their thoughts on the concept of a smart energy transition.

Photo Credit: Upper Austrian Energy Agency, 2020

There are also two awards given at the Young Energy Researchers’ Conference: one for energy efficiency research and one for biomass research. Noémie Chagnon-Lessard from Université Laval, won the Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher Award. The award has a prize of 1000 EUR and is chosen by the scientific committee. Learn more about her research in her conference article or by reviewing her presentation.

Review the RLS-Energy Network young researchers' research below.

Oral Presentations

Energy Efficiency
Noémie Chagnon-Lessard (Québec)
New Cascade Design Technique for Higher Efficiency ORC Systems
Stella Maria Santos de Sousa (São Paulo)
Performance of Low Income Energy Efficiency Project (2008-2013)
Mohsen Kandidayeni (Québec)
Online Identification of a Fuel Cell System for Energy Management Purposes

Biomass
Richard Nowak Delgado (Bavaria)
Influence on the Fine Particle Formation using Coal Fly Ash as Additive for the Combustion of woody Biomass in Two Full-Scale Boilers

Poster Presentations

Argjenta Veseli (Upper Austria)
European Legislative and Regulatory Framework on Power-to-Gas
Barbara Poisl, Stephen Sighart (Bavaria)
Evaluation of the State of Health (SoH) for Second Life Lithium Ion Batteries by Self Learning Algorithms
Christina Zugschwert, Georg Heyer (Bavaria)
Decentralized or centralized electrical storage systems for low-voltage grid applications
Daniel C. Rosenfeld (Upper Austria)
Valorization Potential from Organic Waste Fractions: A Case Study for Austria
Hossein Ahmadisedigh (Québec)
Evaluating the Heat Rejection of the Workshop of a Manufacturing Plant and Introducing Waste Heat Recovery Solutions

Jonathan Flórez Montaño (Bavaria)
Silicon/Graphene as a high capacity anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Louis-Gabriel Maltais (Québec)
Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Buildings with Model Predictive Control
Maximilian Mock, Tim Bieringer (Bavaria)
Increasing the methane evolution rate of methanogenic archaea: a study of Methanothermobactermarburgensis
Philipp Leuter, Philipp Johne (Bavaria)
ReGasFerm: Utilization of biogenic residues in a biorefinery concept via entrained flow gasification and gas fermentation for the production of basic chemicals
Matthias Musil (Upper Austria)
A bidirectional DC-DC converter for a bus and energy storage system

RLS-Energy Network meets in Québec for workshop with the RQEI
18-21 November, 2019, Québec City, Québec

As part of a follow-up to the 2018 Regional Leaders Summit in Québec, scientific and political partners of the RLS-Energy Network were jointly invited to Québec by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, the Ministry of International Relations and the Francophonie, and the University of Québec in Trois-Rivières. Researchers from across the RLS regions joined in person and virtually in collaboration with the Réseau québécois sur l’énergie intelligente (RQEI) to exchange on key energy topics with leading Québec experts and to share their progress on the regional SWOT analysis.

Photo Credit: Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Québec

The discussions identified new cooperation pathways, funding opportunities, and institutional mechanisms for supporting international projects and mobility in the RLS regions. A summary of the workshop, including information on the activities undertaken since the RLS-Sciences Conference in São Paulo, was also presented to political coordinators from all seven regions in a dedicated session. Moreover, partners from Québec and from abroad joined the 40th Québec Mines + Energy Congress, held from 18 until 21 November in Québec City.
 
Learn more about the workshop on international collaboration in energy research and the RQEI here. (French)

Écotech Québec cleantech webinar featuring GreenCape speaker
22 October, 2019

On 22 October, 2019, Écotech Québec will host a webinar with Jarrod Lyons, Head of Green Investments and Financial Liaisons for GreenCape and Wesgro, on cleantech in Western Cape. The webinar will be held at 11:00 am (Eastern Standard Time). Learn more about the webinar and register here (French) and here (English). Registration can be found at the bottom of the page.

Learn more about GreenCape here.

WSED 2020: Young Energy Researchers Conference
4-6 March, 2020, Wels, Upper Austria
Deadline for Papers: 10 October, 2019

Young energy researchers from all RLS partner regions have been invited to apply to participate for the 2020 Young Energy Researchers Conference. As part of the World Sustainable Energy Days Conference, two Young Energy Researchers conferences present the work and achievements of young researchers in the fields of biomass and energy efficiency. The conferences offer an opportunity to interact with researchers and industry experts from all over the world. The organiser of the WSED, the OÖ Energiesparverband, covers the costs of accommodation, meals, participation and local transport (3 conference days) for up to 60 selected participants (between 3 - 6 March). Submissions are invited from any scientific field (e.g. technology & engineering, economic and social sciences, architecture, law, arts, etc.) and must be in English only from researchers born after 1984. The two best contributions are honoured with the awards "Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher" and "Best Young Biomass Researcher" and will receive 1,000 Euro each as prize money.

Young researchers from the RLS regions are strongly encouraged to apply. In 2019, the a total of seven young RLS-Sciences researchers from participated. The deadline for papers for the 2020 conference is 10 October, 2019.

Learn more about WSED and the Young Energy Researchers Conference here.

2019 Forum Econogy
25 September, 2019, Linz, Upper Austria

On 25th September, 2019, the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Upper Austria, hosted its Forum Econogy. This year´s theme was “Energie.System.Integration”. This year's Forum Econogy had three main topics: Industrial Energy Systems, Renewable Gases, and Biogenic Raw Materials. The focus of the first topic, Industrial Energy Systems, was on systemic decarbonization. In the Renewable Gases section, hydrogen was discussed in depth, along with methane. Finally, during the Biogenic Raw Materials bloc, possibilites for the further integration of organic resources into the energy system were elaborated. Partners from Bavaria and Upper Austria attended the event.

Review the presentations here (German).

RLS-Energy Network at the 2019 RLS-Sciences Conference
27-31 May, 2019, São José dos Campos, São Paulo

From 27th to 31st May, the four RLS-Sciences groups, including the RLS-Energy Network, met in São Jose dos Campos at the invitation of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The meeting gave the RLS-Sciences projects an key opportunity to meet in person to continue work and make further progress ahead of the 10th Regional Leaders Summit in Linz next year, as well as an opportunity to discuss RLS-Sciences developments overall.

Read a summary of the conference here, or review the programme here.

During the RLS-Sciences Conference 2019, the Energy Network group exchanged on a variety of interlinking topics, including climate change and energy, biofuels, smart energy grids and storage, and energy efficiency. These exchanges also addressed topics such as interdisciplinarity in research, and the social acceptance of new energy technologies. The group also discussed the progress of their Joint Roadmap, including the status of the SWOT analysis of the energy transition in the regions and a feedback round on the pilot matchmaking database for researchers on solar energy. The group will continue to progress along the Joint Roadmap, and is looking to develop joint project proposals in the coming months.

Young Energy Researchers Conference
27-28 February, 2019, Wels, Austria

As part of the World Sustainable Energy Days, seven young researchers from three RLS-Sciences regions participated in the Young Energy Researchers Conference. From Bavaria, Mr. Robert Bauer and Mr. Maximilian Mock, as well as Dr. Madhav Singh and Ms. Barbara Poisl (Technologiezentrum Energie at Hochschule Landshut) presented two posters. From Québec and Western Cape, Mr. Pierre-Olivier Lemire (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)  and Mr. Ashton Mpofu (Cape Peninsula University of Technology) each presented their research during the Young Energy Researchers Biomass Conference. Another young RLS-Sciences researcher from Bavaria, Ms. Amarachi Kalu (LMU Munich), also participated in the Young Energy Researchers Conference.

The young RLS-Sciences researchers had the opportunity to meet with RLS and RLS-Sciences representatives from Upper Austria and Bavaria, as well as network with each other and other young researchers from around the world. With ­over 650 participants from over 50 countries each ­year, the World ­Sustainable Energy Days are one of Europe's largest annual conferences on sustainable energy. The conference has two tracks: energy efficiency and biomass. The posters, conference papers, and presentations from the young researchers from RLS-Sciences can be reviewed below.

Presentations:
Biomethanation of tannery sludge: Optimisation of initial pH and temperature and evaluation of kinetics (Mpofu et al.)
Associated conference paper available here.

Design and Economics of an Advanced Biomass Processing Depot: Case Study in Southern Quebec (Lemire)
Associated conference paper available here.

Posters:
Used lithium ion battery: State of health data for its second life (Sighart, Singh, Poisl, Pettinger)

Piping renewable energy: Utilizing methanogen and organic waste (Bauer and Mock)

​Previous Events

Final Declaration concerning energy transition at the 9th RLS Conference
18 May, 2018, Québec

As part of the 9th RLS Conference in Québec, the representatives of the seven heads of government from the partner regions agreed upon and signed a declaration concerning the energy transition. The document affirms the importance of building a low carbon economy, and specifically refers to the RLS-Energy Network database as demonstrating the combined potential of the jurisidictions within the RLS network. 

Review the Final Declaration on energy transition here. 

​RLS-Energy Network presentation at the 9th RLS Conference
18 May, 2018, Québec

On Friday, 18 May, 2018 , Dr. Sebastian Goers presented on the topic of renewable energy in the RLS regions to the Regional Leaders Summit Conference at the Château Frontenac in Québec. This was part of the RLS-Sciences presentation segment of the conference. The presentation offered an overview of the recently published first Monitoring Report of the RLS-Energy Network.

Review the RLS-Energy Network presentation here, and review the Monitoring Report here.

​RLS-Energy Network presentation to Heads of Government at the 9th RLS Conference
17 May, 2018, Québec

The RLS-Energy Network was presented to the RLS Heads of Government as part of the political programme. This presentation showcased the strengths of the RLS regions in renewable energy developments and research via a short video. Energy Network researcher Dr. Sebastian Goers then gave a presentation outlining one of the network’s latest outputs, the RRA Monitoring Report. This allowed the heads of government to have an overview of the current state of renewables across the RLS regions, which is key information for policy creation.

Cristina Cavalcanti, a student from São Paulo who's participation in RLS-Sciences was funded by FAPESP, presented her summer school team's work on the Cape Town water crisis to the Heads of Government. Please find a copy of the student team presentation here. Explanations about the summer school team’s works can be found here. For context on the water situation in Cape Town,  please refer to information from our partner GreenCape on the water outlook here, as well as additional information here and here.

​Review Dr. Goers’ presentation here. 
Review the first Monitoring Report here.

Photo Credit: Laurence Gosselin

​RLS-Energy Network Workshop at the 9th RLS Conference
17 May, 2018, Québec

The Energy Network held a meeting with external guests to facilitate exchange between the regions and with organizations in the renewable energy field in Québec. This exchange included presentations from existing bi-and multilateral collaborations, as well as illuminating the specific opportunities for further collaborations. The network then held an internal meeting to discuss next steps following the publishing of its first Monitoring Report.

Review the presentations: 

Photo Credit: Véronique Baril

IREQ: Setting New Sights With Our Clean and Renewable Energy (Ahmed Daoud, Québec)
CIRAIG: Supporting a successful energy transition (Sophie Fallaha, Pierre-Olivier Roy, Quebec)
The BELT Biorefinery Project: The first Canadian renewable fuels biorefinery challenges and solutions (Patrice Mangin, Québec)
TEQ: Québec's journey toward energy transition (Mathieu Payeur, Québec)
Research on Power-to-X Concepts (Robert Tichler, Upper Austria)
Monitoring on Renewable Energy in the RLS regions (Sebastian Goers, Upper Austria)
Shandong Renewable Energy Outlook: Low Carbon Initiatives (Keng H. Chung, Shandong)
ClimEx: The sensitive interface of climate change and energy systems- perspectives from the ClimEx-initiative (Alain Bourque, Québec, Ralf Ludwig, Bavaria, Anton Frank, Bavaria)

The Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler University, in Linz (Upper Austria), and the UQTR, in Trois-Rivières (Québec) identified potentials of scientific cooperation in the areas of  regional bioeconomy and bioenergy, environment and biotechnology, hydrogen and energy storage, smart grids, electric mobility and energy efficiency during the RLS Energy Network working meetings. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in order to facilitate mutual assistance in research and education in the framework of the RLS Energy Network.

Review the Memorandum of Understanding here.

Inaugural RLS-Energy Network Summer School 2018
9-18 May, 2018, Québec

Ahead of the 9th RLS, the RLS-Energy Network co-organized its first ever summer school with the Université du Québec à Trois Rivières and the Fonds de recherché du Québec. The summer school was hosted in Shawinigan and Québec from 9 May until 18 May. Students from across the RLS regions collaborated on joint project proposals throughout the course of the summer school, which culminated in several presentations during the 9th RLS Conference.

​Read more about the summer school here.

Regional Renewables Alliance releases first Monitoring Report
17 May, 2018

The Regional Renewables Alliance (RRA) has published its first Monitoring Report ahead of the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec. The report gives a preliminary overview of the renewable energy capacities across the seven RLS partner regions, based on existing data. It also describes ongoing research and development activities in renewable energy, as well as socioeconomic and geographic contexts of the regions. The report was prepared under the coordination of the Energieinstitut at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz.

Review the Monitoring Report here.

RLS-Energy Network video at 9th RLS in Québec
17 May, 2018, Québec

The RLS-Energy Network was presented to the heads of government at the 9th Regional Leaders Summit in Québec. As part of the presentation, a video showing the different RLS regions and their energy resources was shown. Watch the video below. 

International summer school on renewable energy of the RLS-Sciences Renewable Energy Network
Shawinigan & Québec City, Québec, 9-18 May, 2018

The RLS-Energy Network is pleased to announce the inaugural international summer school on renewable energy from May 9 to 18, 2018, in Shawinigan City and Québec City (QC, Canada). The Summer School is jointly organized by the RLS-Energy Network, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) and the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). Researchers and coordinators from each RLS region are invited to nominate students to attend. 

​Find more information here, or on the Summer School page from FRQNT here. ​​
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1st Upper Austrian Stakeholder Workshop of the RLS Energy Network at the Forum Econogy 2017,
Linz, Upper Austria, 6 December, 2017

On 6th December 2017, the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Upper Austria, hosted its Forum Econogy. This year´s topic was “Lösungen in stürmischen Zeiten”. Experts presented lighthouse projects towards a transition of the energy sector. The aim of the RLS Energy Network workshop was to incorporate the expectations of Upper Austrian stakeholders from science, policy and industry and to identify and evaluate future research and innovation projects. Current activities of the network’s roadmap, the monitoring of the renewable energy status quo and potentials were presented. Scientists from Upper Austria and Bavaria introduced their research activities on Power-to-X, energy systems, energy storage and ICT ecosystems for energy savings on the household level to the stakeholders.
 
Find the agenda of the RLS Energy Networks workshop here.

RLS Energy Network at WindAc Africa 2017
Cape Town, Western Cape, 15 November, 2017

The paper “The regional roles and benefits of wind power – a monitoring process for the partner regions Bavaria, Georgia, Upper Austria, Québec, São Paulo, Shandong and Western Cape” was presented at the wind power conference WindAc Africa 2017 in the session “Global outlook”. The report was generated in cooperation with RLS scientists from different institutions from Shandong (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong University), Upper Austria (Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University Linz) and the Western Cape (Stellenbosch University) and presents wind power highlights, objectives, statistics, trends and research activities of selected RLS regions compiled during a monitoring process of the RLS Energy Network’s roadmap.
 
Review the presentation here.

Young Energy Researchers Conference in Upper Austria
Wels, Upper Austria, 28 February to 1 March 2018

The Young Energy Researchers Conference was held from 28 February – 1 March 2018 in the context of the World Sustainable Energy Days 2018 in Wels, Upper Austria. The Conference presented the work and achievements of young researchers in the fields of energy efficiency and biomass. It offered the opportunity to interact with researchers and industry experts from all over the world.

Read the conference programme here.
Read more about the Awards "Best Young Energy Efficiency Researcher" and "Best Young Biomass Researcher" here.

iSEnEC 2018 Announced
​Nuremberg, Bavaria, 17-18 July 2018

The Integration of Sustainable Energy Conference will be held from 17 to 18 July, 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany. The conference and exhibition focuses on renewable energy production, energy storage and smartgrid in context of urban development. This time, a new module on mobility will be introduced.
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Read more here.

RLS-Energy Network meets in Montréal
​Montréal, Québec, 9-10 April, 2017

The RLS-Energy Network met in Montréal from 9-10 April, 2017. Researchers and representatives from each RLS region were in attendance, and new members were welcomed. On 10 April, Québec Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Pierre Arcand, was in attendance and spoke to the group. 

​To review the presentations given, please refer to our publications page. 

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RLS-Energy Network at iSEneC 2016

The Integration of Sustainable Energy Conference was held from 11 to 12 July, 2016 in Nuremberg, Germany. As part of the conference, the RLS- Energy Network held a panel from 14:00 - 16:00 on 12 July. Senior researchers from across the RLS regions offered presentations on innovative renewable energy research and regional perspectives on energy policy.

Find the programme here.

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Review the RLS-Energy Network presentation here.

RLS-Energy Network presentation at the 8th RLS Conference

On Friday, 15 July, 2016 , Prof. Dr. Jürgen Karl, the Bavarian coordinator of the RLS-Energy Network, presented the next steps for collaboration within the Energy Network to the Regional Leaders Summit Conference. This was part of the RLS-Sciences segment of the conference. Bavarian State Secretary for the Ministry of Economy and Media, Energy and Technology, Franz Josef Pschierer gave the welcoming address. Québec Minister for Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister Responsible for the Digital Strategy Dominique Anglade gave the closing remarks.

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RLS-Sciences at the IAUP 2017 conference in Vienna

New University Models - Innovation in Education - RLS-Sciences: A multilateral and multilevel approach
2017 (Conference presentation)

Authors: Sebastian Goers, Florence Gauzy, Laurine Platzky; on behalf of all RLS-Sciences members
Read the conference presentation here.

RLS-Energy Network meets in Montréal
Montréal, Québec, 9-10 April, 2017

The RLS-Energy network met in Montréal from 9-10 April, 2017. Researchers and representatives from each RLS region were in attendance, and new members were welcomed. On 10 April, Québec Minister for Energy and Natural Resources Pierre Arcand was in attendance and spoke to the group.
To review the programme, please click here. 

Second International Congress on Biofuels and Bioenergy
Cape Town, South Africa, 30 October to 2 November, 2016

From 30 October to 2 November, 2016, Cape Town hosted the 2016 WECP AGM. The 2016 AGM provided a significant focus on renewable energy. The WECP  brought together on an annual basis some of the greatest energy cities to share their experiences in the development of energy sectors. ​​Read more here. 

Fourth Southern African Solar Energy Conference 
Stellenbosch, South Africa, 31 October to 2 November, 2016

The 4th Southern African Solar Energy Conference (SASEC 2016) was held from the 31st October to the 2nd of November 2016 at the Conference Centre of the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This conference focused on both solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy technology, systems and applications. Read more here. 

4th Annual STERG Research Symposium held at Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch, South Africa, 14-15 July, 2016

From 14 to 15 July, 2016, the 4th Annual STERG (Solar Thermal Energy Research Group) Research Symposium was held at Stellenbosch University. The event featured two thematic days. The first was the ''Research Day'' and featured presentations from academic speakers as well as postgraduate students. The second was the ''Industry Day'', which featured representatives of business and government agencies. Read more here.

Energy Network meeting hosted by Bavaria
Nuremberg, Germany, 13 July, 2016

The RLS-Energy Network met in Nuremberg on 13 July, 2016, following their panel at iSEnec 2016. Topics of discussion included the evolution of the online working platform, the next steps in the scientific roadmap, and the development of a joint proposal.

Short Courses for Renewables open for 2016 in Western Cape

The Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies at the University of Stellenbosch in Western Cape has opened registration for their 2016 Short Courses in renewable energy topics. The courses are designed for industry by industry. Topics include solar, thermal, wind, renewable energy finance, bioenergy, and ocean and hydro energy.

Learn more here.

Energy Network meeting hosted by Québec
Montréal, Canada, 23-25 November

Representatives of the Energy Network met in Montréal from 23-25 November, 2015. Topics of discussion included network structure, network management, and next steps.

Internal Energy Network Workshop hosted by Upper Austria
Linz, Austria, 23 June, 2015

In a collaborative effort, the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, the province of Upper Austria, and the Johannes Kepler University of Linz jointly hosted an internal workshop on, ''Economic and technological challenges of energy-system research in Upper Austria.'' Members of the Energy Network were invited to participate. The workshop was held 23 June, 2015, at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz.

Second Generation Biofuels workshop hosted by Western Cape
Cape Town, South Africa, 12 March, 2014

Members of the Energy Network met in Western Cape for a workshop on second generation biofuels and to explore the technical cooperation amongst the RLS member states. Expert presentations from researchers throughout the RLS regions were given, and cooperation opportunities were discussed.

Review the program here.

Renewable Energies Workshop in Western Cape
Cape Town, South Africa, 10-11 March, 2014

Bringing together experts from across Western Cape and the Partner Regions, the Renewable Energy Symposium provided a forum for presentations from policy makers, researchers, and industry experts to discuss renewable energy research.

Review the program here.

RLS International Seminar on Biomass, Biogas and Energy Efficiency
São Paulo, Brazil, 3-5 April, 2013

Organized by the Government of São Paulo, the International Seminar on Biomass, Biogas and Energy Efficiency was held from 3-5 April, 2013. The seminar sought to identify and disseminate the leading scholarly work on biomass, biogas and energy efficiency from RLS member states. Participants were attached to universities, research institutes, or industrial clusters, and were selected by the partner states.

Approximately 80 scholars and practitioners attended, and 15 papers were presented. The event was opened by the Governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, and the Secretary of Energy, José Aníbal. In the occasion, Governor Alckmin signed a decree establishing the São Paulo Biofuels Program and presented the new Solar Atlas of São Paulo. Conference participants took part in various sight visits to the Metro/Underground of São Paulo, Metropolitan Company of Urban Transport (EMTU), the Environmental Company of São Paulo (CETESB), Eletra Bus (Metra) and 6 Bionanomanufacturing facilities of the Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of São Paulo.

Review the program here.
Read the conference presentations here.