A general meeting of the members of the BAEE will be held during the 4th BAEE Research Workshop in Leuven on 30 October 2015. The venue of this workshop is the Universite Catholique de Louvain (see here for more information on the workshop). The general meeting of members will take place during lunchtime. In this meeting, we will evaluate our past activities in 2014/2015, look forward to the next activities in 2015/2016 and discuss organisational matters (finance, board, committees). We will also give you an update of the organisation of the International IAEE conferentie in Groningen in 2018, which is organized by the BAEE in cooperation with the University of Groningen (see news item). All BAEE members are cordially invited; we look forward to your input to the BAEE.

The Benelux Association for Energy Economics (BAEE) is organizing its fourth Research workshop on energy Economics on Friday, October 30th, 2015. This small-scale workshop offers young as wel ass experienced researchers from the Benelux the opportunity to present a paper on energy economics and interact with colleagues. the workshop is hosted by the Center for Operations Research and econometrics of the Universite Catholique de Louvain. If you would like to present a paper, please register before September 15th. For more information check the workshop's website.

The Benelux Association for Energy Economics (BAEE), the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen (FEB) and the Energy Academy Europe (EAE) are very pleased to announce that the 41st edition of the International Energy Economics Conference will take place in Groningen. The Council of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) has accepted the bid jointly submitted by these organisations to host this conference in 2018. The event will take place from 10 to 13 June 2018.

Machiel Mulder, President of the BAEE and professor of energy economics in Groningen, who will act as Chairman for the conference explains: “I am delighted that this leading global conference in the area of energy economics will come to the Benelux in 2018. As President of the Benelux chapter within the IAEE, I was asked by the IAEE last year whether we would be interested in submitting a bid to host the conference. The Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Groningen and the Energy Academy Europe were interested in participating and this is how we came to develop a joint bid for Groningen as the conference location. We are very pleased that the Council of the IAEE has approved our bid during their meeting in Medellín (Colombia) last week. Ron Ripple, vice president for Conferences of the IAEE, has told us that our bid was selected by the Council from a very competitive field of bids.”

“The international conference of the IAEE attracts about 500 participants from academia, government and industry from all over the world”, says Harry Garretsen, Dean of the FEB. “Dozens of reputable keynote speakers and experts will share their views on topical issues around energy economics, energy policy and energy markets. We are very proud that the BAEE, FEB and EAE can now organise this prestigious event in Groningen.”

Bert Wiersema, Managing Director of EAE: “Hosting the 2018 IAEE conference in Groningen is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the excellence in multidisciplinary energy research, education and innovation programmes that we have on offer here in Groningen. It fits seamlessly with the region’s reputation as dynamic ‘energy hub’ in The Netherlands and globally, and I am convinced that our partners in industry and government will be equally pleased with this result.”

“2018 may seem far away”, Machiel Mulder adds , “but many things need to be prepared in the in-between period in order to organise a memorable event, from the actual conference programme to excursions and side-events, which may have a Belgian or Luxemburgish flavour. The BAEE, FEB and EAE are looking forward to working together on this, in close cooperation with the IAEE and the Groningen Convention Bureau.”

The BENELUX Association for Energy Economics (BAEE) and the French Association for Energy Economics (FAEE), in partnership with CEEM Paris-Dauphine, organize a conference on the topic: Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms: a solution for the European power market? The example of Central-West Europe. The conference is free of charge for BAEE members and will take place at Université Paris-Dauphine on March 9th, from 14:00 to 19:30. Find more information here, and register via the BAEE contact form.

The BAEE has planned a number of public events in Belgium and the Netherlands for this year. (1) A workshop on experiments in May 2014 (The Hague). (2) The 3rd Research Workshop on Energy Economics in Sep / Okt 2014. (3) A Policy Workshop in Nov 2014 (Brussels). (4) A joint workshop with NeVER. More details regarding date, location and programme of these events will follow as soon as possible.

All members of the Benelux Association for Energy Economics (BAEE) are invited to attend the third general annual meeting of its members. This meeting will take place in the Meeting room of Regione Piemonte, Rue du Trône, 62 in Brussels on March 25, from 17:15 till 18:00.  Members intending to join this meeting are kindly asked to register by sending an email to the BAEE secretary by March 20. A mail with the invitation and meeting details has been sent out to all BAEE members. If this mail has not been received for some reason, please contact the secretary. Participants in this meeting are also kindly invited to a workshop that preceeds the BAEE meeting at this venue (see previous news item).

The Groningen Energy Summer School 2014 for PhD students takes an interdisciplinary approach to one of the hottest topics of the energy landscape: smart grids. By bringing together and combining a broad range of disciplines, this event will offer a unique opportunity to PhD students to become aware of different aspects of the energy transition, to develop novel insights, and to create synergy in approaches to smart grids. During the summer school, the participants will attend lectures by specialists in the field, present their own work, and play an active role in workshops and discussions. In addition, excursions to the Eemshaven and to the Maasvlakte will be part of the program. The summer school will be held from 18 to 29 August 2014 in Groningen, The Netherlands and will host 30 PhD students from all academic backgrounds working on energy topics. The list of speakers, programme and more information on the admission and selection procedure can be found at www.rug.nl/research/energy/education/summerschool. Admissions will close on March 15.