Energy Efficiency - Shaping Future Sustainably

Numerous personalities from politics, academia, economy and society, friends, fellow co-workers and members of staff from the Wuppertal Institute met in the Historic Town Hall to give due credit to Peter Hennicke, the internationally recognised researcher and committed President of the Wuppertal Institute. On 31 January 2008, his term of office as the President of the Wuppertal Institute ended due to age.

Professor Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of Innovation of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, thanked Professor Hennicke in the name of the state government for his work: "Energy research in North Rhine-Westphalia owes a lot to you. You considerably contributed to the excellent reputation of the Wuppertal Institute in the field of application-oriented energy efficiency research and last but not least could significantly increase its external funding."

Peter Jung, Mayor of Wuppertal, invited Hennicke and the speaker, former UNEP Director Klaus Töpfer, to inscribe themselves into the Golden Book of Wuppertal.

Peter Hennicke shaped the research at the Wuppertal Institute in a decisive way. In October 1992, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker appointed him Director of the Energy Division of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy where he became Vice President in 1998. From 2000, he had been Acting President and since April 2003 he was leading the Institute as President.

It is true for the mastermind and energy economist Peter Hennicke that, "Climate protection and the renouncement of nuclear energy can become true until the middle of the 21st century if an increase in energy efficiency is given priority over energy generation." He and his co-workers together with Amory Lovins, Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado/USA, succeeded in developing a new world-energy-scenario, a Factor Four scenario.

That energy efficiency has become a term today, which has the chance to become the word of the year, is also due to Hennicke's unremitting work in presentations, publications and committees, e.g. in enquete commissions for climate and energy of the German Bundestag. He demands nothing less than an "efficiency revolution"; his credo: "Energy efficiency is a win-win situation. Not-consumed kilowatt hours are the safest, cleanest and cheapest options of climate and resource protection. This has nothing to do with renunciation but it is about more efficient technologies, intelligent management and a moderate application of energy services."

He reckons up for the economy that the new field of business is feasible. From politics, whose primacy he always points out, he demands suitable conditions and incentives. According to his self-image, he clearly and convincingly explains scientific research results to the people and decision takers of our society. He and his team decisively shaped the energy political discussion in Germany. Furthermore, he is an internationally recognised expert and counsellor. As a researcher he has been drawing up the significance of resource efficiency for enterprises and the national economy during the past years. The topic has reached today - also because of Hennicke's interventions - the top of the agenda of German environmental policy.

Peter Hennicke assumed his office as President in times of significant change. The World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002 put with his "Plan of Implementation" sustainable consumption and production on the international agenda and demanded an integrated scientific and political understanding. With the new conceptualising of the research programme in Wuppertal under Hennicke, this was methodically and as regards content put into action under the keyword "application-oriented sustainability research" on the Institute's research agenda. A further important incentive were the results of an evaluation through the The Wissenschaftsrat (German Science and Humanities Council). In only one year the Institute had developed and put into action a new research structure, which not only proves successful but also points the way to the future.

President Peter Hennicke creatively and offensively coped with the entrepreneurial challenges of a research institute in times of tight budgets. This is especially true for the significant increase in external funding. To build up a closer contact with clients and to participate in lively discussions in the capital, the Wuppertal Institute opened up an office in Berlin on his initiative. On 1 August 2005, the Wuppertal Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme jointly founded the "UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production" (CSCP) as a member of the international community of world-wide cooperating UNEP Centres.

Peter Hennicke leaves behind a well-organised research institute, which is ready for the growing tasks in the future. The analysis of necessary changes and the formulation of sustainability concepts have only effects in few areas of life and business so far. The concrete implementation and designing of a climate and resource friendly economy is still to be fulfilled. Regarding this, the scientific competence of the Wuppertal Institute but also the one of Peter Hennicke himself will be in demand.

Professor Hennicke will still be available for the Wuppertal Institute with his scientific expertise e.g. within the scope of a project cooperation in the field of "resource efficiency".

Negotiations about the successor to Professor Hennicke are currently going on. Until a new President assumes office, Vice President Dr Manfred Fischedick provisionally heads the Institute's research.

Press release by Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy

Responsible: Dr. Manfred Fischedick, Vice President

Contact: Dorle Riechert, Public Relations

Tel. +49 (0)202 2492-180, Fax +49 (0)202 2492-108

E-mail: pr@wupperinst.org