On 29 April 2015, Ecologic Institute US and the Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law at New York University School of Law hosted a discussion about the German Energiewende (Energy Transition). The event provided an opportunity for participants to speak with experts with first-hand insight into the Energiewende and the lessons it may hold for policymakers in New York State, currently pursuing their own comprehensive energy reforms. 

Last spring, the New York State Public Service Commission announced a groundbreaking initiative called "Reforming the Energy Vision" (REV) that, among other things, seeks to "encourage greater penetration of clean generation and energy efficiency practices." If it is successful, the New York initiative could serve as a "template for other states" in the U.S. As New York contemplates modes for electricity industry reform, it would be useful to better understand the ways in which leading EU jurisdictions have approached similar challenges.

From this perspective, the German experience with its Energiewende (energy transition) deserves special attention. To date, there is relatively little comprehensive, up-to-date and trustworthy information in the U.S. about the German experience in confronting these challenges. The Ecologic Institute – NYU Guarini Center event seeks to help remedy this deficiency by convening a group of New York stakeholders to meet with German experts to examine how Germany has approached concerns about reliability and the legal/administrative challenges posed by the explosion in the number of households participating in renewable generation.