Diana SüsserInstitute for European Energy and Climate Policy
Diana Süsser
PhD / Dr.rer.nat.
inter- and transdisciplinary research for a just energy transition and climate protection
About
34
Publications
10,087
Reads
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481
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I'm an energy expert, conducting inter- and transdisciplinary research, managing projects and providing policy advice. My research interests are in particular in community energy, climate innovations, energy policies and energy modelling. Currently, I work as senior expert at IEECP and coordinate the Life project JUSTEM.
Additional affiliations
July 2019 - November 2020
Israel Public Policy Institute & Heinrich Boell Foundation
Position
- Research Associate
January 2017 - October 2019
University of Hamburg
Position
- Researcher
February 2015 - May 2015
33rd Annual Meeting on Coastal and Marine Geography
Position
- Part of the Organising Team
Description
- http://amk.zmaw.de/Jahrestagung-2015.2827.0.html
Education
January 2013 - July 2016
School of Integrated Climate System Sciences, CliSAP, University of Hamburg
Field of study
- SICSS Doctorate Student
December 2012 - July 2016
Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg
Field of study
- Doctorate Student
October 2010 - December 2012
School of Integrated Climate System Sciences, CliSAP, University of Hamburg
Field of study
- Integarted Climate System Sciences
Publications
Publications (34)
Stakeholder engagement has become increasingly important in energy research and is now even required by many funding agencies. Recent energy modelling projects also claim to involve stakeholders in the research process, although this is usually a process of one-way communication. This raises the question of the extent to which stakeholder involveme...
There are considerable differences in the pace and underlying motivations of the energy transition in the different geographical contexts across Europe. The European Union's commitment to climate neutrality by 2050 requires a better understanding of the energy transition in different contexts and scales to improve cooperation of involved actors. In...
Energy models are used to inform and support decisions within the transition to climate neutrality. In recent years, such models have been criticised for being overly techno-centred and ignoring environmental and social factors of the energy transition. Here, we explore and illustrate the impact of ignoring such factors by comparing model results t...
Energy enables the functioning of modern society. However, humanity's reliance on fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has contributed to many societal problems including climate change, environmental degradation and pollution, and the transition to a renewable and carbon-free energy system is one of the grand challenges for the 21st centur...
To achieve the European Union's target for climate neutrality by 2050 reduced energy demand will make the transition process faster and cheaper. The role of policies that support energy efficiency measures and demand-side management practices will be critical and to ensure that energy demand models are relevant to policymakers and other end-users,...
Energy models are used to explore decarbonisation pathways and potential future energy systems. In this editorial, we comment on the importance of energy system modelling and open tools to inform policymaking in the context of the European Green Deal. We also summarise the seven contributions to the special collection on Energy Systems Modelling, a...
Energy system models are advancing rapidly. However, it is not clear whether models are becoming better, in the sense that they address the questions that decision-makers need answered to make well-informed decisions. Therefore, we investigate the gap between model improvements relevant from the perspective of modellers compared to what users of mo...
Computer-based models provide decision-makers with techno-economic insights into transition pathways for decarbonising energy systems. Such models mainly focus on techno-economic aspects and do not adequately represent the social aspects of the energy transition, although there is broad consensus that these non-technical factors are important drive...
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected societies and economies around the world, and the scientific community is no exception. Whereas the importance of stakeholder engagement in research has grown quickly the consequences of the pandemic on this has so far not been empirically studied. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the COV...
The decarbonisation of the European energy system is a large-scale transformation, which demands not only for a techno-economic feasibility analysis, but also for an assessment of the social and political feasibility and environmental impacts. However, most energy models are not able to fully represent the social and political developments and dyna...
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected societies and economies around the world, and the scientific community is no exception. Whereas the importance of stakeholder engagement in research has grown quickly the consequences of the pandemic on this has so far not been empirically studied. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the COV...
QTDIAN is a toolbox of qualitative and quantitative descriptions of socio-technical and political aspects of the energy transition that influence the overall potential, the rate of energy-related technology and service diffusion and the design of the future energy system. In this report, we (i) develop qualitative social storylines of the energy tr...
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected societies and economies around the world, and the scientific community is no exception. Whereas the importance of stakeholder engagement in research has grown quickly for many EU projects, yet no research has studied the consequences of the pandemic on this. In this paper, we investigate...
As energy models become more and more powerful, they are increasingly used to support energy policymaking. Although modelling has been used for policy advice for many years, there is little knowledge about how computer-based models actually influence policymaking, and to what extent policymakers influence the modelling process. Here, we empirically...
In this article, we review the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global energy sector and evaluate the implications of related policy responses on prospects for a transition to a climate-friendly energy system. In doing so, we differentiate between different types of countries and different dimensions of energy supply. Firstly, we assess...
Although energy models advance rapidly in terms of technical and techno-economic details, social and political aspects and environmental burdens beyond greenhouse gas emissions are currently underrepresented. However, in light of the European Green Deal and the EU Energy Union Strategy, models must advance in terms of social and environmental consi...
In this report, we identify the needs of the energy model users and the users of energy model results in policy, industry, civil society, and science, both in the present and future. Based on a comprehensive literature review, qualitative interviews in five European jurisdictions, a survey, and a workshop, we identify what different user groups nee...
Achieving the EU’s commitment under the Paris Agreement, the Energy Union Strategy, and the European Green Deal, requires a significant transformation of current energy systems. Renewable energy is a major component of this transition, and thus, policymakers face the challenge of making decisions about new renewables-dominated energy systems. Becau...
This policy brief was written in the framework of the fellowship program “Decarbonization Strategies for the 21st Century: German-Israeli Perspectives”, organized and executed by the Israel Public Policy Institute (IPPI), the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS Potsdam) and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Tel Aviv (HBS Tel Aviv) in partn...
This IASS study takes an in-depth look at Covid-19's impacts on the global energy sector, and then zooms in to the country level to see individual country effects and responses. The case studies are compiled by energy researchers in Argentina, China, Germany, India, Israel, and the United States. Despite similar impacts of the corona crisis on ener...
Wind energy is the backbone of the German energy transition German: Energiewende). The draft legislation for the phase-out of coal- firedpower generation recently published by the Federal Minis-try for
conomic Affairs and Energy proposes a general minimum distance of 1000 m between wind turbines and residential buildings. We have performed a data...
In recent years, considerable efforts have been devoted to exploring and understanding how people attribute meaning to and engage with climate change. Although the relevance of society in regional mitigation and adaptation to climate change is now recognised, it is still not clear how local places and social climate change meanings inform each othe...
The main contribution of this chapter lies in the investigation of the emergence of innovation and entrepreneurship in complex social systems, exemplarily in the context of community-based renewable energy. We, hence, theoretically consider ‘entrepreneurial complexity’ as the emergence of innovation processes and entrepreneurship in complex and soc...
Densely populated coastal urban areas are often exposed to multiple hazards, in particular floods and storms. Flood defenses and other engineering measures contribute to the mitigation of flood hazards, but a holistic approach to flood risk management should consider other interventions from the human side, including warning information, adaptive b...
Climate change induces non-linear and unevenly distributed changes, such rising sea levels and extreme weather events that materialise on the regional level and considerably contribute to changes in the social fabric of regions, communities and places. Because of the need for societal responses, an in-depth understanding of individual and collectiv...
Technology Assessment in Energy Landscapes. Agent-Based Modeling of Energy Conflicts:
The risks and conflicts of the fossil-nuclear age are in contrast to the effects of renewable energies which appear in a largely positive light. However, the transformation towards a low-carbon energy supply creates new energy landscapes with a high demand for sui...
A renewable-energy transition evokes the question ‘Renewables? Yes, please!’ or ‘Renewables? No, thanks!’ to people, communities and regions, because it initiates a physical and social transition to places and communities. Although ‘community renewable energy’ emerged as a grassroots-based innovation and is thus of increasing interest to the public...
Climate change has been recognised as a societal challenge demanding transformation in our social and economic systems in order to adapt to expected climatic changes and to mitigate a temperature increase above 2 degrees Celsius. Discussions on mitigating climate change revolve around the question of how to enable low-carbon energy transitions base...
Here we report on the first Interdisciplinary Conference of Young Earth System Scientists (ICYESS), which focused on Understanding and Interpreting Uncertainty. Funded by a variety of German research organizations and hosted by the climate research cluster KlimaCampus of the University of Hamburg, ICYESS was organized and chaired by young Earth sys...
The poster addresses how people can be individually and collectively engaged with climate change, and presents mitigation and adaptation measures adopted on individual & community level.
Questions
Questions (4)
I would like to invited you to take our survey on the long-term impact of COVID-19 on stakeholder engagement in sustainability research!
In summer 2020, we have conducted a survey on “The impact of COVID-19 on stakeholder engagement in European energy and marine research” as part of the EU H2020 projects SENTINEL and PANDORA. We are now planning a follow-up survey and we would be very grateful if you would agree to support our research.
- Take the survey here: https://survey.iass-potsdam.de/index.php/358614?lang=en
- Share the survey for stakeholders with your stakeholders: https://survey.iass-potsdam.de/index.php/376499?lang=en
In our new study, we want to follow up on our own research and research by other scholars and investigate if COVID-19 will be a long-term disrupter of stakeholder engagement in sustainability research, by expanding the perspectives towards the stakeholders in research. We want to hear not only from researchers but also from stakeholders how they assess the online research process after two years, what online tools and formats should stay for which engagement objectives, and what learnings from the COVID-19 ‘disruption’ will be considered for new research project proposals on the side of researchers, and equally, what are wishes from stakeholders-side about their future ways of their engagement in research project. Thus, we have developed two survey: one survey for you/researchers and once survey to be taken by your stakeholders. We want projects to participate that started no later than January 2020 and ran at least until the end of 2020.
The survey follows the data protection standards and personal data will be not collected without your agreement.
We would highly appreciate your participation and the participation of your stakeholders in this survey. Please share the survey with your stakeholders.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us in case of any questions!
Dear energy researchers,
The COVID-19 pandemic has large societal and economic impacts, from which also different stakeholders involved in EU H2020 energy projects are affected. With this survey, we would like to find out how the crisis affects the stakeholder engagement activities of current energy research projects.
This survey is aimed at researchers responsible for stakeholder engagement - be it project coordinators, or other partners who perform stakeholder activities in your research project.
Completing this survey will take you around 15 minutes. Your answers will be greatly appreciated, and collected information will only be used for the purpose of the research project and will be treated anonymously. By participating in this survey, you agree to our data protection standards (see GDPR Disclaimer for further info). Your answers will enable us to understand the current situation of stakeholder engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. You will thus contribute to helping existing and future EU projects to tackle this challenge.
SURVEY: https://survey.iass-potsdam.de/index.php/358614?newtest=Y&lang=en
This survey is conducted as a cooperation between the EU H2020 projects SENTINEL (energy science) and PANDORA (fisheries science). We personally want to thank you for supporting our research!
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions regarding this survey or our study.
Warm regards from SENTINEL
Dear researchers,
The COVID-19 pandemic has large societal and economic impacts, from which also different stakeholders involved in EU H2020 energy projects are affected. With this survey, we would like to find out how the crisis affects the stakeholder engagement activities of current energy and marine research projects.
This survey is aimed at researchers responsible for stakeholder engagement - be it project coordinators, or other partners who perform stakeholder activities in your research project.
Completing this survey will take you around 15 minutes. Your answers will be greatly appreciated, and collected information will only be used for the purpose of the research project and will be treated anonymously. By participating in this survey, you agree to our data protection standards (see GDPR Disclaimer for further info). Your answers will enable us to understand the current situation of stakeholder engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. You will thus contribute to helping existing and future EU projects to tackle this challenge.
This survey is conducted as a cooperation between the EU H2020 projects SENTINEL (energy science) and PANDORA (fisheries science). We personally want to thank you for supporting our research!
Access the survey for ENERGY research: https://survey.iass-potsdam.de/index.php/358614?newtest=Y&lang=en
Access the survey for MARINE research: https://www.limesurvey.uni-hamburg.de/index.php/survey/index/sid/358614/newtest/Y/lang/en
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions regarding this survey or our study.
Warm regards from the SENTINEL and PANDORA project
Diana and Vera
More about https://www.pandora-fisheries-project.eu/
More about https://sentinel.energy/
Dear researchers,
The COVID-19 pandemic has large societal and economic impacts, from which also different stakeholders involved in EU H2020 energy projects are affected. With this survey, we would like to find out how the crisis affects the stakeholder engagement activities of current energy AND marine research projects.
This survey is aimed at researchers responsible for stakeholder engagement - be it project coordinators, or other partners who perform stakeholder activities in your research project.
Completing this survey will take you around 15 minutes. Your answers will be greatly appreciated, and collected information will only be used for the purpose of the research project and will be treated anonymously. By participating in this survey, you agree to our data protection standards (see GDPR Disclaimer for further info). Your answers will enable us to understand the current situation of stakeholder engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. You will thus contribute to helping existing and future EU projects to tackle this challenge.
SURVEY for ENERGY project: https://survey.iass-potsdam.de/index.php/358614?newtest=Y&lang=en
SURVEY for MARINE projects: https://www.limesurvey.uni-hamburg.de/index.php/survey/index/sid/358614/newtest/Y/lang/en
This survey is conducted as a cooperation between the EU H2020 projects SENTINEL (energy science) and PANDORA (fisheries science). We personally want to thank you for supporting our research!
Do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions regarding this survey or our study.
Warm regards from the SENTINEL and PANDORA project!
