Under New Management: The Next Generation Takes the Reins of the FfE
Dr.-Ing. Serafin von Roon, Managing Director of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH (FfE GmbH), was appointed Managing Director of the Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V. (FfE e.V.), effective from May 1, 2021. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Pellinger has been appointed as a further managing director of the FfE e.V. from September 1, 2021. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Mauch, Managing Director since October 1, 1994, will take over as Chairman of the Board of the FfE e.V. until his retirement on November 30, 2021.
Since March 1, 2021, Dr.-Ing. Serafin von Roon has also filled the role of the deputy scientific director of the FfE e.V., following the well-deserved retirement of long-standing scientific director Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Wagner.
The management of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH will be strengthened by Dr.-Ing. Anna Gruber and Mr. Andrej Guminski as of September 1, 2021.
The Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V. is a non-profit association with more than 100 members from the energy sector, industry, science, and administration, as well as private members.
Through its scientific research activities, the FfE creates application-oriented knowledge in the field of energy efficiency, integration of renewable energies, and future-oriented technologies as a fundamental contribution to a sustainable transformation of the energy system. The education and further training of students and scientific employees to become experts and multipliers in the field of energy economics is another statutory objective of the FfE.
The Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH was founded in February 2001 as a 100 % subsidiary of the FfE e.V.. The close cooperation with the FfE e.V. enables the FfE GmbH to offer expert opinions and consulting services at a high scientific level. It develops its analyses and solutions based on scientific methodology and current research results. The service spectrum of the FfE GmbH ranges from detailed energy consulting to preparing demand forecasts and complex structural analyses.
“After almost 30 years of successful management, I am glad to be able to hand over responsibility to my chosen successors. We have worked together to shed light on all the important aspects of the evolving energy system for years, and both colleagues are well versed in the diverse questions this transformation brings. Thus, I am confident the FfE will continue to address the key issues impacting the future viability of the energy system, industry, transport, and buildings under their leadership. In doing so, the FfE will continue highlighting the opportunities such unavoidable transformations present for society, politics, and businesses.”
“I am grateful for 25 years of scientific leadership of this unique institution in the German research landscape. The FfE is successful because it analyzes the pressing issues of resource conservation and climate protection with sound energy technology knowledge, taking economic, ecological, and social aspects into account. FfE also has an important role in the education and training of energy experts. Thanks to all FfE colleagues and the FfE Board for many good discussions. I have great confidence that our successors will continue to shape the future of FfE very well with expertise and skill.”
The New Management of the FfE e. V. and the FfE GmbH
“I am honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading this institute, with its 70-plus years of scientific history, and the great team at my side. We will take good care of the legacy of Prof. Wagner and Prof. Mauch. In these exciting and crucial times of change, the FfE is ready to support those who are actively shaping the transformation using our position at the crossroads of theory and practice.”
Dr.-Ing. Serafin von Roon (1975) graduated from the Technical University of Berlin in 2003 with a degree in industrial engineering and electrical engineering. He then joined the Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V. as a research assistant. There, he was responsible for the area of energy markets. In 2012, he received his doctorate with distinction from Prof. Wagner at the Technical University of Munich on the topic of “Effects of forecast errors on the marketing of wind power”. In 2011, he took over the sole management of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH. At the FH Kufstein, he took over the lectureship with the lecture “European Energy Markets” from 2014 to 2015. Since 2016, he has been a lecturer at the Technical University of Munich with the lecture “Energy Economical Mechanisms of the European Electricity and Gas Markets”. Since March 2021, he has been deputy scientific director and since May 2021 managing director of the Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V.. Dr.-Ing. Serafin von Roon is involved in national and international committees and is a consultant for federal and state ministries. He is a founding member and Chairman of the Board of the Working Group for Energy Efficiency Networks. Dr.-Ing. Serafin von Roon is a member of the jury for the dena Energy Efficiency Award, GEE Energy Award, the Helmut Schaefer Award, and as an advisory board member for the Tyczka Energy Award.
“Over a 70-plus year tradition of top-class research, the FfE has developed into a fully-loaded scientific speedboat with a full tank of momentum and an expertly-plotted course. We are well-prepared to fulfill the increasingly vital role given to today’s scientific institutions, accompanying and advising politics, society, and the economy during the transformation of the energy system. We find ourselves with this opportunity thanks to the excellent navigation provided by Prof. Mauch and Prof. Wagner during their tenure here. I’m incredibly pleased to now be able to take the helm together with very special people, and honored to be chosen to fill these big shoes and face the tasks ahead. At the same time, I know that we can always rely on the entire FfE team, the presidium, the board, and the members.”
Dr.-Ing. Christoph Pellinger (1985) graduated from the Technical University of Munich in 2010 with a degree in technical physics. He then worked as a research assistant at the Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft e.V.. There, he was responsible for the area of energy system modeling and worked intensively on energy markets and electromobility. In 2016, he completed his doctorate under Prof. Wagner at the Technical University of Munich on the topic of “Added value of functional energy storage from a system and actor perspective”. In 2016, he took over the position of strategic project development. In this position, he was instrumental in initiating and driving key FfE projects and establishing and expanding partnerships. In addition, he was primarily responsible for the cross-team development of the FfE model landscape. He is involved in national and international committees and is a consultant for federal and state ministries.
“Knowledge creates practice – I personally believe that combining theory and practice is vital to a successful energy transition. I’m delighted to be working with this creative, dynamic team at the FfE to deliver insights, promote exchange, and drive the transformation of the energy system.”
Dr.-Ing. Anna Gruber (1984) graduated in environmental and process engineering from Augsburg University of Applied Sciences in 2007. In 2017, she completed her doctorate at the TU Munich under Prof. Wagner on the topic of “Temporally and regionally resolved industrial load flexibility potential as a contribution to the integration of renewable energies”. She has been with the Forschungsgesellschaft für Energiewirtschaft mbH since 2008, took over the business unit management of industrial energy management in 2014, and was an authorized signatory since 2018. Her work focuses on industrial energy management and load flexibilization. At the FfE, Mrs. Gruber is also responsible for energy efficiency networks and energy audits with well over 150 industrial customers. She drives the dovetailing of science and practice through intensive exchange between practically oriented industrial projects and scientific studies focusing on energy efficiency, load flexibilization, electrification, and decarbonization.
“Passion powers the energy transition – Looking towards the tasks lying ahead sparks eagerness and confidence in me, and I am thrilled that I get to help shape the path to a sustainable energy system as part of an inspiring and multidisciplinary team at the FfE.”
Andrej Guminski (1991) graduated from the Technical University of Munich in 2016 with a Master of Science degree in technology and management-oriented business administration. His master thesis on “Developing a Merit-Order of Electrification for the German Energy System” received the Best Thesis Award of the GEE. In 2017, he won the Best Poster Award of IEWT for his paper on “The Limits of Electrification – Will Renewable Fuels Supplement or Alternative to Electricity in the Decarbonized Energy System”. In 2016, he became a research associate at FfE GmbH and worked on his Ph.D. on “CO2 mitigation in the European industrial sector” since 2018. He submitted his dissertation in August 2021. He has led and worked on a number of research and consulting projects focusing on greenhouse gas mitigation in industry, electrification, load flexibility, and green fuels. Internationally, he regularly represents FfE in expert groups of the International Energy Agency on industrial electrification, system integration of wind power, and circular carbon.
