Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert

Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert

Head of Department of the

Energy, Transportation, Environment Department

Research Topics and Working Areas

Prof Dr Claudia Kemfert has been head of the department Energy, Transportation, Environment at the German Institute of Economic Research (DIW Berlin) since April 2004 and is Professor of Energy Economics and Energy Policy at the Leuphana University, Till 2019 she was Professor of Energy Economics and Sustaiability at Hertie School of Governance and from 2004-2009 she was Professor of Environmental Economics at Humboldt University.

Claudia Kemfert studied economics at the Universities of Bielefeld and Oldenburg (PhD 1998) and Stanford. As part of a research stay, she was at the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) in Milan (1998). From January 1999 to April 2000 she headed the junior research group at the Institute for the Rational Use of Energy at the University of Stuttgart. From 2000 to 2004 Claudia Kemfert held a position as junior professor and headed a junior research group at the University of Oldenburg.

Claudia Kemfert was appointed to the Expert Council for Environmental Issues at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in 2016. She was an advisor to EU President José Manuel Barroso and is on advisory boards of various research institutions as well as federal and state ministries as well as the EU Commission. Claudia Kemfert was a member of the High Level Expert Group of the EU Environment Commissioner and the Advisory Group on Energy of the European Commission (DG Research). Since 2011 she has been a member of the Executive Committee of the German Society of the Club of Rome.

In 2006, Kemfert was recognized as a top researcher in the Elf der Wissenschaft by the DFG, the Helmholtz and Leibniz Associations. In 2011 she received the Urania Medal and the B.A.U.M Environment Prize in the science category and in 2016 the German Solar Prize and the Adam Smith Prize for market-based environmental policy. 2013 she published her book “Kampf für Strom” (English version “The battle about electricity”) in which she describes the myths of the energy debate. 2017 followed her book “Das fossile Imperium schlägt zurück”. Her latest book „Mondays for Future - Freitags demonstrieren, Samstags diskutieren und am Montag anpacken und umsetzen“ was published in spring 2020.

Publications

Energies

Designing a Model for the Global Energy System - GENeSYS-MOD: An Application of the Open-Source Energy Modeling System (OSeMOSYS)

2017 | Löffler, K., Hainsch, K., Burandt, T., Oei, P.-Y., Kemfert, C., von Hirschhausen, C.
Energy Policy

A Welfare Analysis of Electricity Transmission Planning in Germany

2016 | Kemfert, C., Kunz, F., Rosellón, J.
DIW Wochenbericht 19 / 2025

Energiewende ist kein Sicherheitsrisiko für die Stromversorgung: Kommentar

2025| Claudia Kemfert
Data Documentation 110 / 2025

Entsorgung radioaktiver Abfälle in Deutschland – Eine Einführung in die rechtlichen und technischen Hintergründe sowie Bestandsanalyse

2025| Alexander Wimmers, Christian von Hirschhausen, Fabian Präger, Claudia Kemfert, Josephine Hiepler, Claudia Humann, Pauline Kaiser, Andrea Lagoda, Theresa Lang, Leila Lubosch, Ruta Nonnenbroich, Henning Pahlke, Raphael Stiemke, Zoe Tercier, Alexander Buschner
DIW Weekly Report 14/15 / 2025

Power Generation from Nuclear Fusion Not Expected in the Foreseeable Future: Applied Research Developing Dynamically

2025| Alexander Wimmers, Fanny Böse, Alexander Buschner, Claudia Kemfert, Johanna Krauss, Julia Rechlitz, Björn Steigerwald, Christian von Hirschhausen
DIW Wochenbericht 13 / 2025

Kommerzielle Energieerzeugung mit Kernfusion nicht absehbar – Anwendungsforschung entwickelt sich dynamisch

2025| Alexander Wimmers, Fanny Böse, Alexander Buschner, Claudia Kemfert, Johanna Krauss, Julia Rechlitz, Björn Steigerwald, Christian von Hirschhausen
DIW Wochenbericht 8 / 2025

Eine Zukunft ohne Gas bietet gute Chancen: Kommentar

2025| Claudia Kemfert, Jan Rosenow
Zeitungs- und Blogbeiträge

Neue Regierung investiert Milliarden: wie gefährlich ist unsere Abhängigkeit vom Erdgas?

In: Der Tagesspiegel (02.05.2025), S. 32 | Andreas Löschel, Claudia Kemfert, Casimir Lorenz
Zeitungs- und Blogbeiträge

Bürgerenergie

In: Behörden Spiegel (15.04.2025), S. 15 | Claudia Kemfert
Zeitungs- und Blogbeiträge

Die Ideen der Koalition sind teuer, ineffizient und sozial ungerecht

In: klimareporter° (26.03.2025), [Online-Artikel] | Claudia Kemfert
Zeitungs- und Blogbeiträge

Klimawandel: ohne Amerika nicht zu stoppen?

In: Der Tagesspiegel (26.03.2025), S. 10 | Claudia Kemfert
Refereed essays Web of Science

Is Russian Gas Still Needed in the European Union? Model-Based Analysis of Long-Term Scenarios

In: Energy Strategy Reviews 58 (2025), 101646, 10 S. | Lukas Barner, Franziska Holz, Christian von Hirschhausen, Claudia Kemfert

Lectures

Diskussionsteilnahme

Podiumsdiskussion

Claudia Kemfert
Hamburg, 02.12.2024
| Energiewende: Kriegen wir noch die Kurve?, Körber-Stiftung
Diskussionsteilnahme

Strommarktdesign der Zukunft – Potenziale der Energieflexibilität: Paneldiskussion

Claudia Kemfert
Berlin, 27.11.2024
| ZEIT für [Klima]
Vortrag

Schockwellen über Schockwellen: Klimakrise, Energiekrise, Wirtschaftskrise, wie wir drei Krisen mit einer Klappe schlagen können: Vortrag und Podiumsdiskussion

Claudia Kemfert
Braunschweig, 25.11.2024
| Abt Jerusalem Preis 2024: Stiftung Braunschweigischer Kulturbesitz
Diskussionsteilnahme

Energiewende und die Rolle der verschiedenen Energieträger: Paneldiskussion

Claudia Kemfert
[Online], 30.10.2024 - 31.10.2024
| Gemeinsam für eine nachhaltige Wirtschaft: IMPACT-Festival 2024
Diskussionsteilnahme

Ist Energiewende unter Beibehaltung des Wohlstands machbar?

Claudia Kemfert
Unterhaching, 13.09.2024
| Arena-Talk mit Harald Lesch in der Geothermie Unterhaching

Research Projects

Research Project

Distribution effects and incentive effects of coordinated climate and social policy

Current Project| Public Economics, Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

ADaptation And Mitigation Strategies for Europe (ADAM)

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Biochar in Agriculture – Perspectives for Germany and Malaysia

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

CoalExit

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Decarbonisation of energy

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Die Auswirkungen des Atomausstiegs in Deutschland auf Strompreise und Klimaschutz in Deutschland und Europa

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Economic Analysis and Evaluation of the Effects of the Renewable Energy Act

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

EMF Energy Modelling Forum

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

European Gas Infrastructure

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

General Economic and Sectoral Effects of the Promotion of Renewable Energies

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment, Firms and Markets
Research Project

German-Japanese Energy Transition Council (GJETC)

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Loss Trends of Natural Catastrophes – A New Approach to the Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Mainstreaming of Climate Risks and Chances in the Finance Sector

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

Mitigation of methane emissions - a rapid and cost-effective response to climate change

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment
Research Project

NAMAs Central Asia

Completed Project| Energy, Transportation, Environment

In the media

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