Paul Bertheau

Activities

• Development of research projects with international partners
• Research on renewable energy systems on islands and in rural areas
• Organization of research networks and research meetings

Personal Information

Paul Bertheau is a researcher in the RLI Research Unit Off-Grid Systems, his research focuses mainly on sustainable energy access and decentralized renewable energy systems on islands. He is an expert on the energy transition in an international context and drives the development of research networks with Asian, African, and American partner institutions.

Paul completed his PhD in economics on “The role of renewable energy for low-carbon development on small Philippine Islands” in 2020 at Europa-Universität Flensburg as a scholarship holder of the Reiner Lemoine Foundation. As part of his doctoral research, Paul was a visiting scholar at the University of the Philippines (Philippines), Arizona State University (USA), and Kyushu University (Japan). He holds a master’s degree in “Global Change Management” and a bachelor’s degree in “Landscape Use and Conservation”, both from Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences. As one of the best students, he received the Germany Scholarship of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Paul has been working at RLI since 2012, first as a student assistant and subsequently as a PhD candidate and researcher. In these roles, Paul led several research projects in cooperation with public funding agencies, foundations, development cooperation institutions, and industry partners. Among others, he has worked for the EU-funded project: Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (ASEP) with the Department of Energy of the Philippines to develop concepts for sustainable, safe and cost-effective renewable energy systems on islands. Through a BMBF grant, Paul established a research network with academic partners in six Southeast Asian countries. Through his research at RLI and for his doctoral thesis, Paul has published numerous scientific articles and presented research findings at conferences.

A major motivation for Paul is to apply his experience and knowledge to discussions on renewable energy use and transformation strategies outside Europe. To this end, he is involved in research project development with international partners, focusing on locally adapted nexus energy systems, and analyzing innovative energy technologies.