(Frankfurt a. M., 10.11.2022) The members of the Society for Energy Technology in VDE (VDE ETG) have elected a new Board for the period from 2023 to 2025. Dr. Britta Buchholz, who is Vice President Active Distribution Grids at Hitachi Energy Germany AG, is taking over from her predecessor Dr. Michael Schwan at a very challenging time for the energy transition. Electrical energy is set to play an increasingly important role in the overall energy supply as the world strives to go climate-neutral in as many fields as possible.
Involving the population, making use of international drive
Buchholz explains: “Our goal is to rapidly expand wind and solar power and integrate new electrical consumers from the fields of transport, heat and industry into the energy system. In light of this task, it is more necessary than ever to share knowledge and present solutions within a technical and scientific association like ETG.” In this context, Buchholz believes it is essential to involve the public in expanding the energy infrastructure, thereby contributing to greater flexibility. What’s more, she adds, it is important to view energy transformation not just at national level but to take an international approach in order to make headway faster and more cost-effective. Buchholz intends to make this a priority in her role at Hitachi Energy and her work in ETG’s international sister association CIGRE.
Building up resilience, inspiring the next generation
Dr. Stefan Küppers, CTO at Westenergie AG, was elected as deputy to Dr. Buchholz. Alongside the climate targets set by the German government and the EU, his focus is on maintaining supply security and building up resilience. The public has a legitimate interest in a power grid that is able to withstand fluctuations in the power supply or energy load, as well as in increased resistance to cyberattacks or natural disasters. On this topic, Dr. Küppers comments “We need extensive digitalization, we need to scale up existing technology and we need more innovation. Therefore we need young engineers to take on responsibility and support development.”
The other members elected to the ETG Board are:
Prof. Jutta Hanson, Head of Electrical Power Systems with Integration of Renewable Energies at TU Darmstadt
Prof. Andreas Ulbig, manager of the Institute of High Voltage Equipment and Grids, Digitalization and Energy Economics at RWTH Aachen University
Richard Tretter, Head of Energy and Network Economy at Stadtwerke München GmbH
Dr. Karsten Viereck, Director of Technology Automation at Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH.
