Graduate Profiles

With a B.Sc. in Renewable Energies, you are qualified to conceptualize, implement, and evaluate energy projects across the entire value chain. These activities can include, for example:

Assessing energy potential (solar, wind, biomass, etc.)
Production and processing of solid biomass / residual materials
Developing logistics concepts
Identifying and evaluating energy efficiency potential
Assessing planning variants / plant concepts
Operating / monitoring / optimizing energy systems
Public relations and sales
Work in the political sphere

Graduates of the B.Sc. in Renewable Energies find employment opportunities with the following employers, among others:

Energy agencies of the rural districts
Cities and municipalities
Manufacturers of renewable energy technology
Municipal utilities / supraregional energy suppliers
Associations / federations / foundations
Planning and engineering firms
Management consultancies
Research institutes

Graduates of the B.Sc. in Renewable Energies introduce themselves:

Hannes Gerlach has been working as a project engineer at EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG since graduating from Rottenburg University. In addition to its business as an energy supplier, EnBW is increasingly developing into an infrastructure service provider. For example, EnBW now operates the largest charging network in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

During his studies, Mr. Gerlach completed his practical semester in Engineering at EnBW Generation, where he was able to put theory into practice—among other things, during the commissioning of the Stuttgart-Gaisburg engine-based combined heat and power plant and in various renewable energy generation projects. He subsequently worked as a working student in one of EnBW's innovation projects, the virtual power plant. There, Mr. Gerlach wrote his bachelor's thesis, in which he developed and described a digital business model. In his current position as a project engineer, Mr. Gerlach works mainly on so-called fuel-switch projects, which are intended to enable the coal phase-out in southern Germany.

According to Mr. Gerlach, the program at HFR (Rottenburg University) provides ideal conditions for technical careers with interdisciplinary interfaces thanks to its broad-based course content. It conveys a solid technical foundation and supplements this with specialized knowledge of the energy industry and beyond.

Marina Hermann is currently studying at Reutlingen University in the master's program "Decentralized Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency." Before that, from 2015 to 2019, she studied the bachelor's program "Renewable Energies" with the specialization "Energy Systems Engineering" at Rottenburg University.

She decided to pursue the program "to make the world a little bit better." The decision in favor of the Rottenburg location was made during a visit on the open day. The studies in a small, familiar setting, the atmosphere on site, the pleasant exchange with the prospective lecturers—all of this convinced her at the time. From today's perspective, she describes the decision, which was rather spontaneous back then, as one of the most positive steps in her career.

Oliver Knobelspieß works today at MHP as a management consultant. As a Porsche subsidiary, MHP is one of the world's leading consultancies when it comes to management and IT consulting, as well as automotive and digitalization topics. His thematic focus areas here lie in electromobility, the energy system of the future, and project management. His background in the energy industry and renewable energies allows him to bring different perspectives to these subject areas at MHP, since here, too, the expertise of several fields must be brought to bear.

Already during his studies in Rottenburg, he was able to lay the foundation for his later career start and to deepen the course content he had learned in practice through a long-standing working student position at the Tübingen municipal utilities (swt) in the Energy and Innovation department. After his bachelor's degree, he decided to add a master's degree in decentralized energy systems (FH Reutlingen) and continued to work in parallel at the Tübingen municipal utilities as a working student on the Electromobility project.

According to Mr. Knobelspieß, with a view to the transformation in the energy sector and sector coupling, the program offers a very good basis for a successful career start.

Natascha Linke works as a manager for permits/approvals of substations at TransnetBW GmbH in Stuttgart.
Her areas of activity include, among others:

Being responsible for the permitting process in accordance with the German Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) for expansion projects in the substations,
Coordinating the preparation of the necessary application documents and overseeing approval procedures in close contact with the permitting authorities and other public-interest bodies,
Presenting work results to the public and participating in information events for project communication,
Coordinating external service providers and taking over schedule and cost monitoring for the contracted services.

Previously, Ms. Linke was employed at the Stuttgart Regional Council (Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart). There she worked in the trade/industrial inspectorate as a technical employee, responsible among other things for immission control and occupational safety of industrial operations falling under the IE Directive. She was also the contact person for technical matters in objection proceedings concerning wind turbines.

The knowledge and skills she acquired during her studies in Renewable Energies created a solid foundation for her career path to date.

Felix Schneider came to the program through his technical and biological interest and successfully completed it at the end of 2017 as the newly accredited Renewable Energies program. Through his support of the university's public relations work for the Renewable Energies program and the interests that developed during his studies, he found access and connection in the field of energy consulting. Already during his studies, he was committed to and worked for various consulting institutions, where he was active not only with students and private individuals but also at the municipal level. He also completed the necessary further training to become an energy consultant at HFR.

His practical semester took him to the regional energy agency, the Agentur für Klimaschutz Kreis Tübingen gGmbH (Tübingen District Climate Protection Agency), where he was not only able to learn from Daniel Bearzatto but now also supports him as an employee and project manager in the neutral and independent energy consulting of companies, municipalities, and private individuals.

Marc-André Claus works today as a project manager at the engineering firm ebök GmbH. After completing his practical semester at ebök, he was employed there for a time as a working student and also wrote his bachelor's thesis there. Today he works in the field of energy concepts. His areas of responsibility cover energy concepts for individual buildings as well as quarters, districts, or entire municipalities.

For Mr. Claus, the broadly designed program forms an optimal substantive basis for developing concepts. Practical skills, such as the application of GIS or VBA programming, and the further training to become an energy consultant enabled him to make a quick entry into practical professional life.

Julian Klett works today as section head for Renewable Energies at the Tübingen municipal utilities GmbH (swt).

In addition to his management role, his areas of focus are very diverse. For the municipal utilities, he organized the entry into the trade of wood pellets. He acquires solar and wind energy systems for the municipal utilities' portfolio, assesses the risks associated with acquiring such systems, and conducts the contract negotiations. He also takes on the development of in-house sites as a project manager. Further areas within his responsibility are the sale of turnkey photovoltaic systems, the realization of tenant electricity (Mieterstrom) projects, and the implementation of electromobility solutions.
Through the practical semester and the subsequent position as a working student at swt, the transition into professional life was seamless. The constant market changes in the field of Renewable Energies require very high flexibility—he sees the broad-based program as a great advantage here.

Daniel Bearzatto is today the managing director of the Agentur für Klimaschutz Kreis Tübingen gGmbH (Tübingen District Climate Protection Agency). The Tübingen District Climate Protection Agency is a non-profit company that offers citizens in the district neutral and independent advice on energy saving and renewable energies.
His areas of activity include, among others:

Digital heat planning and energy-related neighborhood concepts
Coordinating the expansion of heating networks
Energy management and strategic consulting for municipalities
Networking of stakeholders
Public relations
Participation in research and funding projects

The parallel acquisition of a broad range of academic content and practical experience formed the foundation for his seamless transition into professional life.