The European Forum for Energy Research
2nd European Energy Conference
17-20 April 2012 • Maastricht, NL
Chaired by Professor Harald Bolt, Forschungszentrum Jülich, DE
Under the patronage of Günther H. Oettinger, EU Commissioner for Energy
This biennial European Energy Conference series, launched in 2010, promotes, consolidates and communicates the vitally necessary synergy of scientific and technical competence with knowledge on environmental and social implications. The conference has provided participants with a view and a vision on how the future of energy in Europe could look like. It will be the forum to define the role of energy science and research in the transformation process towards the future sustainable European energy system.The second European Energy Conference has taken take place at a time for strategic decisions. Energy is vital to our society and economy. The future European energy system has to be sustainable in terms of environmental and climate impact and also in terms of supply, industrial viability and societal acceptance. A resolution of this dilemma is imperative. Changes will, by necessity, happen on many different time scales from ongoing actions, to beyond 100 years. The challenges encompass many levels of complexity, from natural science research and engineering to social sciences, systems solution and actions and agreements at the global political level. This question of global future energy supply has to be addressed with objectivity and competence, without ideological bias. The European scientific community has the potential to optimise the necessary interdisciplinary cooperation and communication in energy research, development and the support to industrial innovation.
Welcome Message from EU Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger
It was my great pleasure to offer my patronage and support to the 2nd European Energy Conference. This conference is organised by the European Science Foundation, the European Physical Society and the European Materials Research Society, which are three preeminent entities in the field of research and development. The world needs to invest in research to obtain solutions for the future. In the energy field this need is even more necessary, not only because of the exigent goals the European Union has committed itself to reach regarding CO2 emission cuts and energy efficiency, but also because of the result of unpredictable events, such as the Fukushima disaster, which imposed the review of safety standards. Counting with the participation of experts from various disciplines and sectors, this event has helped in the definition of a common vision on the development of the European energy policy.
On a different note, this conference has brought together expertise from the EU, US and China. The energy challenges nowadays are far from being national or even regional. In a globalised world, there is the need to discuss and find the common best practices while paving the way to keep improving them. For all these reasons, I congratulate the organisers for this second "European Energy Conference" and I am sure that the contribution of both keynote presentations and the symposia have brought added value to the role of research and innovation for a more sustainable and efficient European energy policy.
