Philipp Blechinger

My research focuses on supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Within the Reiner Lemoine Institute (RLI), I helped develop and now lead the Off-Grid Systems Research Unit, which currently has more than 15 researchers and students. Founded in 2020, I also now head the Reiner Lemoine Stiftung (RLS) Graduate School on Energy System Transformation, which currently has four PhD students.

Over the years, I have led a range of international research projects on decentralized energy supply, financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), as well as by the EU.  As a consultant, I have worked on rural electrification planning in Nigeria (EU/GIZ), Zambia (IFC/World Bank), the Philippines (EUAid) and a number of small island developing states. I also participate in international research collaboration, for instance with the University of the Philippines and via the Berkeley-Berlin Energy Access Group in conjunction with the University of California Berkeley. I am also the founder of the Berlin Off-Grid Roundtable, which has over 100 members.

AGYA connects people!

I believe that successful research requires communication and exchange on an international and interdisciplinary level. AGYA is the perfect platform to enable such exchange, along with long-lasting collaborations and friendships. The unique character of AGYA is reflected in its diverse networking events, which create productive atmospheres for discussion and joint project development, while also allowing members to experience new countries and cultures. In addition, AGYA tandem and working group projects support international research between AGYA members and related researchers. My projects within AGYA include ‘Solar4Food’, an interdisciplinary research project on and prototype development for a low-cost solar dryer for dates in Sudan; ‘Wine to Energy’, a techno-economic analysis of vineyard residuals’ potential for bio energy generation; and ‘A Digital Commons: Governance of Smart Mobility Data’, a workshop on smart cities and mobility with a focus on data governance.