Conferences

World
Sustainable
Energy Days 2026

24 - 27 February 2026
in Wels

Programme

Register now!

Speakers 2026

Bastian Alt

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Head of Biomass Competence Area, eta Energieberatung, Germany
  • Previously, Project Manager for industrial energy projects, Bayernwerk Natur (E.ON Group), Germany
  • PhD (Dr.-Ing.), Technical University of Munich, Germany









     
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Giovanni Andrean

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Energy Technology Researcher, International Energy Agency (IEA), France
  • Transport sector analysis for key publications, e.g. Energy Technology Perspectives and Global EV Outlook
  • MSc in Energy Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy









     
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Elisabeth Andrieux

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Managing Director, hofmann & neffe GmbH, Austria
  • Previously, project management and logistics experience at Austrian Post AG
  • MSc in Strategy, Innovation and Management Control, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria









     
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Martin Bentele

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Managing Director, Deutscher Energieholz- und Pellet-Verband (DEPV), Germany
  • Managing Director, Deutsches Pelletinstitut (DEPI), Germany
  • Degree in Forestry, Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany
     
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Maitane Berecibar

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Head of Battery Innovation Center, MOBI Research Group at VUB, Belgium; Member of IEC standardization body (TC-69, TC-21)
  • Selected a Highly Cited Author in 2025 by Clarivate reviewer for leading battery journals and conferences
  • PhD in Engineering of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium








     
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Johanne Bø

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Group Head of Commercial CCUS, Holcim, Switzerland
  • Leads carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives across Europe; previously led CCS activities at Altera Infrastructure, Norway
  • Legal background with senior commercial and leadership roles in the shipping industry








     
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Talía Brun Marcen

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Programme Coordination Manager, LIFE Energy and Climate Unit, European Commission, Belgium
  • Over 20 years of experience in EU project management, energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy communities and energy poverty mitigation
  • MSc, Cities Programme, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom; Postgraduate degree in Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain



     
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Lina Bubulytė

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Head of the EU Projects Team at "Amiestas", Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Professional experience in EU-funded projects and international cooperation
  • BSc in Business Management









     
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Chiara Caccamo

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Director of Business Development, SINTEF, Norway
  • Over 20 years of experience in research and industry, leading projects in carbon capture, hydrogen ecosystems, and industrial energy flexibility
  • Master's degree in Electronic Engineering, University of Pisa, Italy







     
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Seán Collins

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Energy and Power Systems Modeller, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Bonn, Germany
  • Focused on capacity expansion, dispatch modelling, and regional energy transition roadmaps for the EU, South America, and Eastern Partnership regions
  • PhD in Energy Engineering, University College Cork, Ireland








     
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Marco Costa

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Head of Energy Communities and One Stop Shops, AESS, Modena, Italy
  • Supports municipalities in developing energy communities, securing grants, and implementing EU renewable energy projects
  • MSc in Energy Engineering, University of Padova, Italy


     
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Guillaume Débarbat

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Policy Officer, European Commission, Belgium
  • Former Economic Analyst, European Commission, Belgium
  • Master's degree in European Affairs, Sciences Po Paris, France; Master's degree in Statistics and Economics, ENSAE ParisTech, France







     
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Gerhard Dell

Speaker Pellet Conference
Speaker Industry Conference
Chairperson Pellet Conference
Chairperson Energy Efficiency Policy Conference
Chairperson Industry Conference
 

  • Energy Commissioner to the Upper Austrian Government and Managing Director of OÖ Energiesparverband, Austria
  • Lecturer at the University of Linz, Austria
  • Doctorate and Post-Graduate Degrees (PhD Engineering, Dr. tech.) in Electrical Engineering and Energy Economics
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Raoul Dörr

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Policy Officer, European Commission, DG Energy
  • EU policy expert with experience in energy, industrial, and digital policy
  • MSc in Political Science, University of Freiburg, Germany / Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence, France






     
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Christiane Egger

Chairperson Pellet Conference
Chairperson Industry Conference
Chairperson E-Mobility Conference
Speaker Pellet Conference
Speaker Energy Efficiency Policy Conference
Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Deputy General Manager of the OÖ Energiesparverband and Manager of the Cleantech-Cluster Energy, Austria
  • Conference Director of the World Sustainable Energy Days
  • Degrees in Law (University of Graz) and Environmental Engineering (Technical University of Graz), Austria
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Werner Emhofer

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Sales Manager Export, Fröling, Austria
  • Over 15 years of experience in the sales of biomass heating systems
  • Degree in Economics, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Austria
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Markus Höller

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Head of BPM AT, DHL Freight, Austria
  • Previously, Business Process Manager and Field Sales Executive, DHL Freight, Austria
  • BA in International Logistics Management, FH OÖ Campus Steyr, Austria







     
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Ramona Iske

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Business Developer, Cognitive Energy Systems, Fraunhofer IEE, Kassel, Germany
  • 20 years of sales experience at Leica Microsystems in industrial, forensic, and life science applications
  • Diploma in Optometry (Dipl.-Ing. (FH)), University of Applied Sciences, Jena, Germany






     
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Nadejda Khamrakulova

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Economic Affairs Officer, Sustainable Energy Division, UNECE, Switzerland
  • Professional experience in electric mobility, circular economy, sustainable resource management, and energy policy across Europe and Central Asia
  • Executive degree and Master’s degree, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies / University of Geneva, Italy






     
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Thomas Kienberger

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Head of the Chair of Energy Network Technology, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
  • Research and teaching focused on renewable energy integration, complex energy systems, and climate-neutral transformation of the manufacturing industry; over 150 published scientific articles
  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Austria





     
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Alexander Kirchner

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Member of the Board and CTO, Energie AG Oberösterreich, Austria
  • Over 20 years of experience in the energy, waste, and recycling industries
  • Degree in Industrial Environmental Protection, Waste Management and Recycling, Montanuniversität Leoben; Professional MBA in Controlling & Finance, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria




     
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Marina Köhn

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Computer Scientist, Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency), Germany
  • Research focus on digital infrastructures, resource use assessments, and development of methods for measuring energy and resource efficiency in data centers, cloud services, and software
  • Advisor to the German government and contributor to the Blue Angel environmental certification for IT products



     
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Nikolaos Kontinakis

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Team Leader, Energy Efficiency Unit, European Commission, DG Energy, Belgium
  • Over 25 years of experience in energy, climate, ICT, and sustainable urban and regional development
  • MSc in Electronic Automation / BSc in Physics, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece


     
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Felix Kriedemann

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Senior Policy Advisor, REScoop.eu, Belgium
  • Experience in renewable energy policy, focusing on citizen-led renovations and community-led heating and cooling by energy communities
  • Master’s Degree in European Public Affairs, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

     
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Vlasta Krmelj

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Mayor of the Municipality Selnica ob Dravi and Director of the Energy and Climate Agency of Podravje (ENERGAP), Slovenia
  • Expert in the fields of sustainable energy use and renewable energy sources, energy management and financing energy projects
  • PhD in Chemical technology - biotechnology, University of Maribor, Slovenia
     
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Christine Kühnel

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Managing Director, Reiner Lemoine Institut, Berlin, Germany
  • Expert on heating transition, environmental protection, and civil society in the energy transition
  • Diploma & PhD in Engineering, Technical University of Berlin, Germany



     
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Biljana Kulišić

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Policy Officer, Unit Decarbonisation and Sustainability of Energy Sources, European Commission, DG Energy
  • More than 20 years of experience in policy and assessing socio-economic aspects of bioenergy
  • PhD in Agroeconomics, University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer of Osijek, Croatia

     
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Stephan Laiminger

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Chief Technologist, INNIO Jenbacher, Austria
  • Various roles in engine development, including Head of Engine Design & Development and Chief Engineer, Austria
  • Master & PhD in Mechanical Engineering, TU Graz, Austria



     
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Jose Ramón López

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • International Relations and Strategic Projects Specialist, Basque Energy Agency (EVE), Spain
  • Over 24 years of experience in international relations, EU projects, and strategic partnerships for the Basque energy sector, Spain
  • MBA in International Trade, ICEX Campus, Spain; BSc in Electrical Power Engineering, UPV/EHU, Spain


     
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Alexis Lozano Medina

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Director, Island Energy and Climate Agency, Gran Canaria, Spain
  • Experience in leading renewable energy deployment and climate action initiatives across Gran Canaria, Spain
  • Industrial Engineer and PhD, Environmental Engineering and Desalination, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

     
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Robert Mack

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Project Manager, TFZ – Technology and Promotion Center for Renewable Resources, Straubing, Germany
  • Expertise in emissions, efficiency, and fuel flexibility of small-scale biomass heating
  • MEng. in Environmental Technology, OTH Amberg-Weiden, Germany
     
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Thomas Moser

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Head of the TransMet Investment Programme at voestalpine Steel, Austria
  • Over 15 years of experience in energy management, power plant operations, innovation management, and industrial projects at voestalpine in Austria
  • MSc in Operations Management, FH Steyr, Austria; Bachelor’s degree in Process Engineering Production, FH Wels, Austria


     
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Olimpia Nicolae

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Coordinator, Energy Communities Coalition, Romania
  • Leading advocacy and communication for energy communities; former campaign lead at Greenpeace Romania
  • Master’s in Philology, University of Bucharest, Romania
     
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Christine Öhlinger

Chairperson Pellet Conference

  • Head of Sector International Tasks, OÖ Energiesparverband, Austria
  • Project management of international projects in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy
  • Diploma in Law, Postgraduate Training in Energy & Environmental Advice
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Àngels Orduña

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Executive Director, A.SPIRE, Brussels, Belgium
  • Leading EU and international R&I projects in the process industry
  • Master in International Relations, IBEI – Barcelona Institute for International Studies, Spain

     
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Stefan Ortner

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Managing Director and Co-Owner, ÖkoFEN Global Headquarters, Austria
  • Over 15 years of experience in the areas of product management, R&D, marketing and international market development for pellet heating systems
  • Degree in Innovation and Product Management, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
     
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Diana Paunova-Galeva

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Chief Expert, Sofia Energy Agency – SOFENA, Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Experience in leading EU projects on renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy communities, and energy management systems, Bulgaria
  • MSc in Energy Markets and Services / MSc in International Relations, University of Sofia, Bulgaria


     
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Harald Proidl

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Director Renewables and Energy Efficiency, National Regulatory Authority E-Control, Austria
  • Leading role in international organisations (CEER, ERRA)
  • Master and PhD in Economics, JKU Linz, Austria

     
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Francisco Puente

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • General Manager, ESCAN Energy Consulting, Spain
  • Previously, Technological Engineer for ENEL Group and Planning Engineer at Técnicas Reunidas, Spain
  • PhD in Energy Engineering, Politechnic University Madrid, Spain; Executive MBA, EOI Business School, Spain
     
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Harald Raidl

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Supply Chain Director Austria & Management Team Member, Brau Union, Austria
  • Former Customer Service & Logistics Manager, Brau Union, Austria
  • Master's degree in food science and biotechnology (brewing technology focus), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Austria
     
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Hubert Röder

Speaker Pellet Conference

  • Professor in Sustainable Business Economics, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science, Germany
  • Speaker of the Forestry and Wood Cluster Initiative, Germany
  • Doctorate in Forestry, LMU Munich, Germany
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Michele Sansoni

Speaker Policy Conference

  • Programme Coordination Manager, LIFE Energy and Climate Unit, European Commission, Belgium
  • Over 20 years of experience in EU project management, energy planning in cities and regions, and innovative financing schemes for energy efficiency and renewable energy
  • MSc in Engineering Management, University of Bologna, Italy; Second-level Master in Geographic Information Systems, IUAV University of Venice, Italy







     
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Michael Schwarz

Speaker E-Mobility Conference

  • Managing Director, Schwarz Transporte, Austria (family business since 1877)
  • Previously self-employed for 10 years in finance, renewable energy, and startups
  • Expertise in transport management, business development, and entrepreneurship





     
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Gerald Steinmaurer

Chairperson Young Energy Researchers Conference​​​​​​​

  • Head of Center of Excellence Energy, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
  • Head of Research Group ASiC, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
  • PhD in Mechatronics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria
     
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Christian Straßer

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Managing Director of Local and Regional Energy Communities, Linz, Austria
  • Former Head of Unit, European Commission, responsible for the LIFE Programme on climate mitigation, adaptation, and clean energy transition, Belgium
  • Diploma in Economics






     
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Etienne Viénot

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Head of European and International Affairs, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Energy Environment, France
  • Vice President of FEDARENE, responsible for digitalisation and AI
  • MSc in Geography and Cartography, Université de La Réunion, France





     
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Savvas Vlacchos

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Director, Cyprus Energy Agency, Cyprus
  • Professional experience in environmental impact assessment, waste treatment, energy audits, energy communities, and sustainable energy and climate action planning
  • MSc in Civil Engineering; BSc in Environmental Engineering




     
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Christos Vrettos

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Energy and Policy Advisor, REScoop.eu and Electra Energy, Greece
  • Focused on citizen engagement in renewable energy, public financing advocacy, and EU policy campaigns (Social Climate Fund and multi-year EU budget)
  • BSc in Biodiversity and Conservation, University College London, UK



     
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Benjamin Wilkin

Speaker Workshop Energy Communities

  • Executive Director, Energie Commune, Brussels, Belgium
  • Over 15 years of experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable project development, Belgium
  • Master’s in Bioengineering, UCLouvain – Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium


     
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Krisztina Zálnoky

Speaker Policy Conference​​​​​​​

  • Knowledge and Strategy Coordinator, Agora Think Tank, Hungary
  • Experience in research and project management in sustainability, climate, circular economy, and policy analysis (e.g. at the CISL, European Commission, UNICEF, U.S. Commercial Service, and KPMG)
  • MSc in Public Policy, University College London, UK

     
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Robert Zoufal

Speaker Industry Conference

  • Head of Sales eTools, INERCOMP, Austria
  • Experience in portfolio and data management for Austrian energy utilities
  • MSc in Supply Chain Management, WU Vienna, Austria

     
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Marisca Zweistra

Speaker Policy Conference​​​​​​​

  • Project Manager, ElaadNL, The Netherlands
  • Over 20 years of experience in smart and bidirectional charging, smart grid integration, and energy system digitalisation
  • PhD in Process Engineering, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
     
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Speakers Young Energy Researchers 2026