The global energy system stands at the verge of a far-reaching paradigm shift. The established model of centralized supply services will be challenged by new, decentralized technologies, with Germany being an international role model for energy efficiency and renewable energy generation.

The energy system is undergoing a fundamental transformation – from fossil to renewable energy, from central power plants to distributed, decentralised generation facilities such as rooftop solar panels or wind parks, from utilities to private residents as producers of energy, and from analogue to digital. This book looks at the energy transformation from two complementary angles: governance and business model innovation. On the one side, governance is a decisive factor for the success of the transformation because it can act as an accelerator, or it can delay the process. On the other side, entrepreneurs and corporate decision-makers provide new business models for a decentralised energy world. Based on best practices, country studies and interviews with CEOs and founders of startups from all over the world, the “Global Game Changer” suggests eight key principles for political decision-makers to successfully implement the transformation, and six core competencies for corporate decision-makers to thrive in the new marketplace.

The question of decentralization of energy sources goes to the heart of the energy choices before the United States, but conflicting viewpoints have clouded the issue in recent years. This volume cuts through the rhetoric to address specific issues involving local control over energy sources and energy uses, including environmental aspects of decentralized and centralized energy supply systems; energy conservation and its relation to energy decentralization; behavior, values, and energy choices; institutional issues affecting the commercialization of solar energy, especially in cities; issues of decentralized and conventional energy supply choices in Sweden; and methods by which decentralized energy systems have been studied. Most importantly, each of the papers in this collection considers social and institutional concerns as well as technical and economic issues.

The introduction of micro CHP – the simultaneous production of heat and power in a single building based on small energy conversion units such as Stirling and reciprocating engines or fuel cells – is of increasing political and public interest. This book introduces into micro CHP systems and technologies, and presents the results of the first such investigation carried out by four German research bodies.

Der Tagungsband enthält die wissenschaftlichen Beiträge der Konferenz "Mikro-Perspektiven auf dezentrale Energieversorgung" vom 23. bis 24.4.2015 in Bangalore, Indien. Die Beiträge umfassen eine große Bandbreite an Themen von technischen Herausforderungen dezentraler Energieversorgung über Konzepte für DC Micro Grids bis zu Finanzierungs- und Geschäftsmodellen für die Implementierung dieser innovativen Technologien. Weiterhin enthält der Band Beiträge zu Planungs- und Governance-Stratgien, historische Analysen der Infrastrukturentwicklung und Technologie-Bewertung. Mit Fallstudien zu dezentraler Energieversorgung von Indien, Bangladesch, Ägypten, Äthiopien, Kenia, Nigeria, Tansanie und Brasilien geben die Artikel einen guten Überblick über die globalen Entwickung in diesem Sektor. The Proceedings present the scientific contributions of the Conference "Micro Perspectives for Decentralized Energy Supply" from 23rd till 24th of April in Bangalore, India. The papers cover a broad range of topics ranging from technical challenges of decentralized energy supply and concepts for solar DC micro grids till financing and business models for the implementation of those innovative technologies. The volume also contains contributions about planning and governance strategies, historical analyses of the infrastructural development and technology assessments. With case studies on decentralised energy supply from e.g. India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Brazil the papers give a good overview of the development of this sector all over the world.