IKEM’s idea of an ‘Energy Transition-o-Mat’ won the ‘Society of Ideas’ prize in a competition of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Inspired by Germany’s well-known Wahl-o-Mat which facilitates the choice of party for which to vote, the Sustainability & Innovation team has designed an innovative tool that gives concerned citizens personalised information on the climate causes in which they can best invest time and resources. The project helps close the information gap between individuals who wish to get more involved in the energy transition and the countless projects in which they can invest their time and money. The platform takes into account users’ personal interests, location, preferred form of participation and financial limitations to produce tailored recommendations. Projects ranging from joining a citizens’ wind farm or participating in a citizens’ energy company to crowdfunding a solar plant can all be identified and contacted with minimal effort. This is not only of direct benefit to the users – especially in a regional context, more participation always results in more acceptance for local projects.
The Energiewende-o-Mat was one of the 30 award-winning ideas which received a prize of €12,500 to further develop the concept and bring it to fruition.
