Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen elected as new ISES President

In the coming years, Vajen would like to play an active role in shaping global energy policy with ISES' central demand, an energy transition to 100% renewable energies. The climate crisis clearly shows the urgent need for the rapid expansion of renewable energies as the key to a climate-neutral and sustainable energy supply. Solar technology, with its wide range of possible uses, has a central role to play here.

ISES is the world's largest solar association, and its members from more than 110 countries are predominantly scientists and other experts. The non-profit association is also recognized by the UN as a non-governmental membership organization.

Prof. Vajen: "The goals of ISES are more relevant than ever more than 60 years after its founding: climate crisis and climate policy are shaping the political, media and social year 2019. Here ISES supports the global movements, among other things, through technical and scientific expertise. We want to further expand these contacts, as well as exchange of experience and knowledge transfer between experts in industrialized and developing countries." In addition to the latest technical developments, this will be discussed at the "ISES Solar World Congress" in Santiago de Chile in early November, which is also a recognized preparatory event for the COP25 global climate summit to be held four weeks later at the same location.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen is director of the Institute for Thermal Energy Technology at the University of Kassel. The physicist is the author of more than 300 publications on solar technology, higher education and energy policy. Vajen's initiatives have included the founding of Germany's first master's degree program in "Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency" at the University of Kassel, the expert committee "Higher Education for Renewable Energies," and the Europe-wide structured doctoral training program on solar thermal energy. Vajen was already ISES vice president in 2006/07, and in 2011 he chaired the Solar World Congress in Kassel.

Press release of the DGS from 17. 10. 2019