Interview with Christiane Egger, Jury Member of Roger Léron Award

Christiane Egger is the Vice-President of FEDARENE and the Deputy Manager of OÖ Energiesparverband, the energy agency of Upper Austria, and the manager of the Ökoenergie-Cluster, a network of 160 companies active in renewable energy and energy efficiency. She is the conference director of the World Sustainable Energy Days, one of the largest annual conferences in Europe on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Christiane is an expert in energy efficiency in buildings, in solar and biomass heating and in dissemination and promotion of sustainable energy production and use. She holds a law degree and a post-graduate degree in environmental engineering.

Christiane Egger will be one of the Jury Members of this year Roger Léron Award, as she was in past editions. Fortunately, we could ask her some questions about her perspective of the most recent changes in the sector and the suggestions that she would give to future generations to improve the current situation.

What are the major changes you have witnessed during the course of your career in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency?

Energy efficiency and renewable energy – what we call today the energy transition –moved from being a fringe topic followed by a small number of organizations to be at the top of the policy agenda. In Upper Austria – through commitment, action, and support of the regional government – greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector have been reduced by 40% in the past 10 years and the share of renewable energy in space heating has increased to an impressive 60%. Change is definitively happening!

The Roger Léron Award aims to highlight the exceptional achievements of individuals. This year’s focus will be on creativity. How can actors working in the energy transition use creativity to overcome challenges and barriers?

The energy transition is one of the biggest economic and social challenges we are facing. We need to do things differently than we have in the past. Fresh ideas, new collaborations and thinking outside the box are essential. This is where creative and engaged individuals, organizations, companies, and governments can really shine. By fostering interconnectedness between actors, technologies, and sectors of society, new options arise. The aim is to create and nurture an innovation ecosystem where innovation and change can grow.

In what ways does the Award motivate actors in renewable energy and energy efficiency to continue pushing the boundaries in this field?

Awards are not given for endeavors that are easy, but rather for those that are very hard. It is important to recognize people who make great things happen through their long-term dedication, hard work, and creative approaches. There are many people out there putting a lot of passion, energy, and devotion into transforming our energy systems – Roger Léron was one of them. The Roger Léron Award was therefore created to bring these valuable people to light and acknowledging their contributions.

What is your advice for actors in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency to help them take advantage of this momentum?

Be clever, be creative, be proactive and use this momentum to drive the energy transition agenda!

Christiane Egger is a role model and inspiration in the energy field!  Who will she and the rest of the Jury Member consider as the worthy winner of the 5th edition of Roger Léron Award?

You can still nominate your candidate until the 31st of May, 2019!

• Nominate here
• Find out more about Roger Léron Award here