Peter Hennicke Receives "Order of the Rising Sun" from Japanese Government

On 29 April 2021, the Japanese government awarded the Co-Chair of the German Japanese Energy Transition Council (GJETC), Prof. Dr. Peter Hennicke, with the "Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon". This is one of Japan's highest awards to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Japanese culture and society. Prof. Hennicke receives the Order for his ongoing commitment and work for the GJETC. The official awarding ceremony of the Order is planned for the next GJETC Council meeting in September 2021 at the Embassy of Japan in Berlin.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Toshimitsu Motegi conveyed his congratulations to Prof. Hennicke, who expressed his gratitude for the award: "I feel this honourable order as a great encouragement for the GJETC's work to intensify our cooperation. The award shows that we have jointly created an international role model for scientific cooperation. Despite different framework conditions and energy policy priorities, we have managed to establish a continuous, science-based exchange of knowledge and joined pathways in search for ways to achieve climate neutrality for our countries."

On the German side, the Wuppertal Institute and ECOS Consult support the council's work as secretariats; on the Japanese side, the Institute of Energy Economics Japan (IEEJ) takes over this part. Together, the GJETC established science-based cooperation between the two countries on issues of global warming and the energy transition. Since its founding, the Council has produced numerous analyses, held Outreach events in Berlin and Tokyo and formulated recommendations on the energy transition to the Japanese and German governments in support of the German-Japanese Energy Partnership.

Last week, the GJETC presented three new studies on digitalisation, decarbonisation options for the industry and impact of the Corona pandemic on climate policy. The studies deal with key questions for the energy transition in both countries: How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data be utilised to optimise power grid operation? To what extend can Carbon Capture and Usage (CCU) and Hydrogen contribute to the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries? And which impact of Covid-19 can be observed on energy consumption, social behaviour and climate policy? From the individual studies, the GJETC has also derived recommendations for policymakers in Germany and Japan.

Further information can be found under the links below.