At the meeting of the Energy Strategy Council on May 6, 2021, three young talents from Weser-Ems were honored for their entries in the "Clever minds made in Weser-Ems" competition for final theses. Graduates from universities throughout Weser-Ems were able to submit their innovative work on topics such as energy generation, sector coupling, acceptance and participation, or digitization of the energy industry for the competition.

"The Weser-Ems region offers an excellent starting point for the implementation of the national energy transition and has the potential to develop into a model region on a European scale as well. In terms of joint knowledge networking in Weser-Ems, the region's actors are succeeding in bringing together "energy turners" from business, science, administration, the education system and the population, expanding strategic alliances and establishing sustainable structures for networking," Jürgen Krogmann, Chairman of the Strategy Council and Lord Mayor of Oldenburg, outlined the regional potential. Nevertheless, the energy turnaround is still a generational task and it requires the continuous bundling of all forces to implement it successfully.

"What makes Weser-Ems particularly successful is the region's focus on researching and developing sustainable solutions for the energy system of the future. Many young talents can thus make their contribution towards a sustainable and climate-friendly energy supply," Krogmann explained during the meeting, which had to be held digitally again due to the pandemic. These young talents should be taken into account with the tender "Clever minds made in Weser-Ems". "As representatives of the region, we are very proud of our young talent and their high level of commitment. We would have liked to offer these talents a different, larger stage," he regretted.

Three of the ten entries submitted to the competition were awarded prizes during the meeting. The winners were:

• Caroline Hoops, topic: "Cultural ecosystem services of alley-cropping agroforestry systems" (University of Oldenburg).
• Adrian Grimm, topic: "Operational strategies for sector-coupled neighborhoods" (University of Oldenburg)
• Nemanja Katic, topic: "Design of a marketplace for energy exchange among neighbors in residential neighborhoods" (Jade University of Applied Sciences Wilhelmshaven/Oldenburg/Elsfleth)

 In addition, all applicants will have the opportunity to present their results to a broad audience of experts and politicians during a poster exhibition at planned events of the Strategy Council in 2021 and 2022.

About the competition

The competition was open to final theses (Bachelor's, Master's or comparable degrees) that make a contribution to active and practice-oriented knowledge networking in the Weser-Ems region. In particular, the focus should be on the topics of energy generation from renewable sources, sector coupling (energy-heat-transport), acceptance and participation for (renewable) energies, hydrogen applications / renewable fuels as a new field of action for the energy industry, regulation and financing in the energy sector and energy and climate protection education. Students from all faculties of colleges or universities located in the Weser-Ems region were eligible to apply.

About the Energy Strategy Council

The Weser-Ems Energy Strategy Council is a regional committee of representatives from business, science, education, administration and politics. The aim is to pool regional competencies in the energy sector and to identify strategic guidelines for the region in order to establish and further develop it as an energy region. More information: www.weser-ems.eu

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