Developing Digital Sustainability Skills through the Grunenfeld Microgrid Project?

With the vision of energy-independency, the German community Grunenfeld embarked on a transformation path based on the real-life example of Blue Lake Rancheria, a Native American tribe in California that had achieved energy independence through the implementation of a microgrid. This involves the dual configuration of innovative and legacy system components, the identification of stakeholders and suiting impact communication. From the perspective of the project manager, this teaching case describes the path towards digitally enabled renewable energy systems. It recognizes local communities as a major player in the current energy transition and further places focus on the inter- and transdisciplinary abilities needed to lead such a strategic transition. This case has been informed by a qualitative study involving the collection of primary (interviews) and secondary data (publicly available project records). This teaching case is part of a broader series that integrates digital innovation with sustainable development goals.