Gerd Heilscher is Professor for “Energy Data Management for Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems” at the Ulm University of Applied Sciences and head of the Smart Grids Research Group.

He is active in the field of sustainable energy systems since 1988 when he left University of Oldenburg after finishing his Master of Science in Renewable Energies. Joining the independent solar consulting IST Energietechnik in 1989, he was project leader for the “Intensified Monitoring and Analysis Program within the German-1000- Roof-Photovoltaic-Program” from 1991 till 1998.  With the start of the feed in tariff in Germany he took the challenge to develop the cost effective monitoring service “SaferSUN”, with which more than 15 GW of photovoltaic systems are operated today. As director of Meteocontrol (2002-2006) he concentrated on the combination of meteorological and energy related expertise for the further integration of renewable energies into the utility grid.

With the Smart Grids Research Group Prof. Gerd Heilscher focuses on the topics Energy Meteorology, Energy Informatics, Energy Infrastructure and Energy Economy. In close cooperation with the local utility SWU he is working on the transformation from a utility to an energy service provider with intelligent metering as a basic prerequisite for the development of cost effective energy services. At Ulm University of Applied Sciences he set up a smart grid laboratory reaching from smart meter up to an experimental distribution control center (EDCC) with power hardware in the loop (PHiL) capability. He managed research projects with a volume of more than 10 Mio. EUR.

As Operating Agent of IEA-PVPS Task 14, he is coordinating the international research activities in the framework of the “High Penetration PV in Electricity Grids” task within the Photovoltaic Power Systems Technology Collaboration Programme of the International Energy Agency. In 2014 Prof. Gerd Heilscher received the award for scientific leadership from the town of Ulm.