Recent and Upcoming Events

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.

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.

​Previous Events

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.