Professor Dr. Gunnar Luderer

Deputy Head of Research Department
Luderer


Gunnar Luderer leads the Energy Systems Group at PIK, and is the Lead Scientist for the REMIND Integrated Energy Economy Climate Model, and serves as Deputy Chair of Research Department 3 - Transformation Pathways.  He is also Professor of Global Energy Systems Analysis at the Technical University of Berlin.  Gunnar Luderer also serves as deputy leader of the BMBF-funded Kopernikus-Projekt Ariadne. He was a lead author of the 2013 and 2018 UNEP Emissions Gap Reports and a contributing author to the Fifth Assessment Report, the Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources  as well as the Special Report on Warming of 1.5°C of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He studied Physics, Economics and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Heidelberg and Oregon State University. He performed his doctoral studies at the MPI for Chemistry in Mainz. Gunnar Luderer has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and has been regularly recognized as one of the World's most Highly Cited Researchers by the Web of Science Group since 2019. Click here for a more detailed CV.

Twitter: @GunnarLuderer

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Department

Working Group

Contact

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
T +49 (0)331 288 2671
gunnar.luderer[at]pik-potsdam.de
P.O. Box 60 12 03
14412 Potsdam

Personal Assistant:

Nicole Krüger
T +49 (0)331 288 2476

nicole.krueger[at]pik-potsdam.de

  • Integrated, model-based analysis of energy transformations and climate change mitigation pathways (REMIND model)
  • Low stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations and cost-efficient mitigation strategies
  • Interrelation between near-term climate policies and the achievability of long-term climate targets
  • Energy-Climate-Environment Nexus

Past and current projects

  • Ariadne - Evidenzbasiertes Assessment für die Gestaltung der deutschen Energiewende - Deputy Project Leader
  • Transformation towards Sustainable Transport Systems – The Next Generation Policies - Work Package Leader
  • Kopernikus Project Energy Transition Navigation System (Enavi) - Work Package Leader
  • Australian-German Energy Transition Hub (START) - Co-Director
  • Advanced Model Development and Validation for Improved Analysis of Costs and Impacts of Mitigation Policies (ADVANCE) - Project Director
  • Global greenhouse-gas emission pathways until 2050 (commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency) - Project Leader
  • Linking Climate and Development Policies: Leveraging International Networks and Knowledge Sharing (CD-LINKS) - Work Package Leader
  • Roadmaps Towards Sustainable Energy Futures (RoSE)
  • EMF-27 study by the Stanford Energy Modeling Forum (EMF)
  • Scenarios on the feasibility of emission reductions towards limiting climate change to 2°C (commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency) - Project Leader
  • Mitigation potential of renewable methane and hydrogen (commissioned by the German Association of Gas and Water Utilities DVGW) - Project Leader
  • Report on Energy and Climate Policy in Europe (RECIPE) - Scientific Coordinator and Leader of Model Intercomparison Project
  • Development of the Integrated Assessment Model REMIND
  • A Global Contract Based on Climate Justice (project webpage) - Project Coordinator
  • Exploring National and Global Actions to reduce Greenhouse gas Emissions (ENGAGE)
  • Next generation of AdVanced InteGrated Assessment modelling to support climaTE policy making (NAVIGATE)
  • Bioenergy's role in a sustainable future: An assessment of environment, technology, supply chains and uncertainty (BEST)
  • Citizens Acting on Mitigation Pathways through Active Implementation of a Goal-setting Network (CAMPAIGNERS)
  • European Climate and Energy Modelling Forum (ECEMF)
  • Global Hydrogen Futures - Modelling of Global Hydrogen Futures (Modellierung globaler Wasserstoffszenarien)
  • Norwegian Centre for Hydrogen Value Chain Research (HyValue)

In the summer semester lecture Energy and Climate Change focuses on teaching the fundamentals of climate physics, key elements of sustainable energy system transformations and related policy processes.

In winter semesters, students will develop their own small energy systems model in the seminar Energy Systems Modeling.

Summer Semester: Energy and Climate Change

Time: Monday 2:15 pm - 3:45 pm; the course starts on 17 April 2023.

Location: The lecture will be held in room C 230 at TU Berlin.

Language: The lecture will be held in English.

Objective: The overall objective of the lecture to equip students with the systemic understanding to evaluate energy technologies, business planning and energy policies in the context of the climate change mitigation challenge. Students will acquire a basic understanding of the fundamentals of climate physics, key elements sustainable energy system transformations and related policy processes.

Target audience: The lecture addresses masters students and graduate students with a background in engineering (in particular energy and process engineering, environmental engineering), natural science or economy. Basic knowledge of energy systems is an asset. No further formal requirements.

Examination: Final written or oral exam.

Registration: Registration is required via ISIS. If you have any questions, please contact .

Credits: 3 Leistungspunkte

Topics covered:  The lectures will cover the following topics

  • Introduction and overview
  • Climate physics
  • Energy systems transformation: The big picture
  • Decarbonization of energy demands in the industry, transportation, and buildings sectors
  • Bioenergy, carbon dioxide and negative emissions
  • Renewable energy integration and sector coupling
  • Climate change, air pollution and other environmental impacts of energy
  • The economics of climate change
  • International climate policy
  • European policy and the German Energiewende
  • Wrap up and final exam

Winter Semester: Energy Systems Modeling

Time: 1-week block seminar from 28 February - 4 March 2022. 

Location: Due to the Covid-19 crisis, the lecture will be held remotely via zoom conference.
                 Zoom Link will be shared via ISIS.

Language: The lecture will be held in English

Objective: By the end of the course successful students will have

  • Acquired a basic understanding of the functioning of energy system models;
  • Built up their own simple energy systems model;
  • Applied the model to a specific use case, e.g. CO2 emission reductions;
  • Analyzed model results;
  • Learned to interpret the results of energy models and acknowledge limitations.

Target audience: The lecture addresses masters students and graduate students with a background in engineering, natural science or economy. Basic experience in programming is essential. Further, Students should have basic knowledge of and interest in energy systems. No further formal requirements.

Examination: Presentation

Registration: Registration is required via ISIS until 31 December 2021. If you have any questions, please contact .                         

Credits: 3 Leistungspunkte

Topics covered:  The integrated course will consist of lecture elements, hands-on numerical modeling of energy systems and the presentation of modeling results to the class.

  1. Introduction to the role of energy modeling and types of energy models;
  2. Basic concepts: Resource endowments, energy balance equations, conversion technologies, energy demand, environmental impacts;
  3. Optimization problems;
  4. Hands-on programming
    a. Build up simple energy systems model from scratch
    b. Analysis of model results
    c. Extensions tailored to a specific application
  5. Presentation of results

[Juni 2023] Bioenergy-induced land-use-change emissions with sectorally fragmented policies

[Januar 2023] Federal Research Minister visits PIK

[November 2022] Potsdam researchers amongst top 1% most cited worldwide

[August 2022] Green hydrogen: Short-term scarcity, long-term uncertainty

[Juni 2022] Emissions Trading for building and transport - new Ariadne analyses

[Juni 2022] New PIK Podcast: Energy security crisis. Cost of living crisis. Climate Crisis. What's the way out?

[November 2021] Accelerated renewables-based electrification paves the way for a post-fossil future: study

[November 2021] 12 PIK Researchers Among Most-Cited Scientists Worldwide

[October 2021] So geht Klimaneutralität 2045 - Was der erste Modellvergleich für Deutschland zeigt

[April 2021] "World's top climate scientists": many PIK researchers feature prominently in Reuters ranking

[February 2021] Coal and COVID-19: How the pandemic is accelerating the end of fossil power generation

[November 2020] ”Highly Cited Scientists 2020” ranking: success for PIK researchers

[July 2020] Shaping the energy transition together: Kopernikus project Ariadne launched

[April 2020] Five years after the Paris Agreement: Large gap between promises and current implementation

[March 2020] Coal exit benefits outweigh its costs

[November 2019] Decarbonizing the power sector: renewable energy offers most benefits for health and environment

[December 2016]  ENavi Kopernikus Project on Systems Integration kicks off [environmental impacts work package]

[October 2016]  ADVANCE final conference "Deep decarbonization for staying well below 2°C" held in Brussels

[May 2015] What would it take to limit climate change to 1.5°C?

[Apr 2014] IPCC Assessment Report on Climate Change Mitigation published

[Sep 2013] New study on the effects of climate policy futures and technology availability on the economics of climate change mitigation: Economic mitigation challenges: how further delay closes the door for climate targets (journal article) (preprint) 

Selection:

ARD: Die Revolution der Erneuerbaren - Teil 1

Frankfurter Rundschau: Heizungsgesetz: Fachleute sehen Klimaziele in Gefahr

RadioEins: "Wir sind an einem Scheideweg" - Maßnahmen gegen die Erderwärmung

Spiegel Online: Die Emissionen sinken nicht - sie steigen

Radio Prague International: Der Umbau des Energiesektors - Schlüssel zum Klimaschutz

RBB Kultur: Billiger Grünstrom führt in neues Zeitalter

3Sat: Scobel - Energiewende komplex

ZDF heute: Analyse zu Klimaneutralität: Klimaziele sind "extrem herausfordernd"

Radio Eins: Reduzierung der CO2-Emmissionen: Was können wir alle dafür tun?

Die Welt: „Es gibt frappierende Parallelen“

Bayrischer Rundfunk: Kernenergie ist nicht nötig für den Klimaschutz

ZDF heute: Alarmierende Treibhausgaswerte

Spiegel Online: Globaler CO2-Ausstoß auf Rekordstand

Interview in Der Standard on climate mitigation potential in Austria

In the Washington Post on requirements for the 1.5°C limit

Interview featured in Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten on the climate action gap

Interview featured in Deutsche Welle on the costs of delayed climate action