Lecture on the Transformation of the Energy Sector and Society

High-ranking US energy researcher visits Jülich

Jülich, 13 April 2012 – Prof. Dr. Steven E. Koonin, former under secretary of state at the US Department of Energy held a lecture on “Bringing Social Sciences to Energy” at Forschungszentrum Jülich today. Koonin is a physicist who worked at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for many years. He is currently employed by the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) in Washington, D.C., which advises the US government on strategic matters of technology and research.

In his lecture, Koonin emphasized that technological progress alone is not enough when it comes to bringing about a sufficiently radical transformation of the energy sector with the necessary speed. He stressed that societal aspects are equally important, such as the economic and political situation as well as prevailing behaviours and convictions. In this context, Koonin presented various technical and organizational measures for examining and improving the energy system and energy consumption using new methods of data acquisition and sociological techniques.

Missed the lecture?

Watch the video recorded during the lecture, which will be available shortly in the multimedia section of Forschungszentum Jülich's website and on iTunes University.