For this interview, we spoke to Susan Wilms, who was Managing Director at IKEM before taking her parental leave in December 2023. She is back at the institute and tells us about the new role she will be taking on, as well as how IKEM can now become more active in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Susan, you are back at IKEM after your parental leave, welcome back! What will your new role at the institute look like?
Thank you very much, I am very happy to be back! I moved to Cologne during my parental leave and will now be working for IKEM from here. I am looking forward to working with Judith Schäfer-Gendrisch, my successor on the Management Board, whom I can now support in my new role as Deputy Managing Director. Alongside my tasks in the management team, I will also be getting more involved in project work and research.
What topics will you mainly be working on?
I will mainly be researching issues relating to energy law. Among other things, I will work on the commercialization of PV electricity and the ramp-up of the green hydrogen economy. I will also be involved in projects on the topics of sector coupling and flexibility in the electricity market.
With you on the ground, IKEM is increasing its presence in North Rhine-Westphalia. What role does the state play in the energy transition?
The Rhine and Ruhr regions are home to some of the most important players in the German energy industry, from large electricity supply companies to grid operators and municipal utilities. Although these companies are based here, they often operate throughout Germany. In general, the opportunities and challenges of the transformation in Germany and Europe are evident in North Rhine-Westphalia, a region characterized by the coexistence of industrial-urban centers and rural areas as well as a fossil fuel industry and great potential for renewables.
What challenges do you currently see for the energy transition in NRW and nationwide?
North Rhine-Westphalia is not only by far the most populous federal state, it also continues to contribute a large proportion of Germany’s industrial value creation. If the energy transition and the transformation of the economy are to succeed, they must prove themselves here. This applies to the electrification of industrial processes and transportation as well as the use of green hydrogen.
How can IKEM’s research provide support for this?
As an institute with over 15 years of experience in research regarding the energy, heating and transportation transition, we have extensive expertise on offer. Building on this, we can help set the regulatory course for a successful transformation. In North Rhine-Westphalia, we also want to cooperate more closely with local companies in order to develop viable ideas and business models for the electrification of other sectors and a more sustainable industry.
