Benjamin Knödler

Job Title: Head of Private Sector Engagement
Company: BMZ - Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Country: Germany

Benjamin Knödler is the Head of Private Sector Engagement at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Before assuming his current position, he coordinated the Ministry's team of climate negotiators and served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In previous assignments, he worked on shaping multilateral policies: As Senior Policy Advisor in the German Development Ministry's G7 presidency team, as Advisor to the German Executive Director at the World Bank Group, and as Advisor to two consecutive German Development Ministers. Before joining the Ministry in 2007 as desk officer for Mozambique and Zimbabwe, he participated in a post-graduate training programme on international development. Benjamin holds a Master's degree in Economics.

May 07, 2025BMZ Greetings

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Sessions

Session

Off-Grid: When Will Off-Grid PV Follow the Affordability Trend?

Wednesday, May 07, 2025, 04:00 pm - 05:30 pm

ICM München Room 14 C

Photovoltaic prices have fallen continuously in recent years - a trend that should translate into a growing market for off-grid solutions. Declining costs are crucial for rural electrification in particular, making sustainable energy supply economically viable in remote regions. However, so far many of these price advantages have not yet reached the people that need them most. Do existing framework conditions to foster rural electrification still work in this new market reality? Which measures are needed to ensure that cost reductions reach our target group? This session discusses strategies for improving the availability of low-cost off-grid solutions, financing and innovative business models. A look at successful practical examples shows which political, economic and technological levers need to be pulled to make off-grid PV accessible on a large scale.