SD STRATEGIES

SD Strategies is a policy and communications consultancy. We focus on issues at the intersection of economic and social development, energy, and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, SD Strategies often works as a collaborative work-desk partnering with leading individuals and institutions from all over the world. Our partners and clients are governments, international organizations, civil society actors and representatives of the private sector. Still in its first year, SD Strategies was named Best Energy & Economic Development Consultancy and received the 2018 Clean Energy Award from Global Energy Review.

People. Planet. Purpose. At SD Strategies, we believe that smart and successful decision-making on the most pressing 21st century challenges needs to address all dimensions of sustainability: Social development, economics, and the environment. Modern problems and crises open the door for new opportunities. Challenges and solutions have impacts on every geographic level from the local to the global; they affect multiple economic sectors and players, and ultimately, all groups and individuals. Climate-compatible development includes lowering emissions and adapting to more extreme weather patterns. Energy solutions need to be affordable, reliable, and sustainable.

Ultimately, we aim to create circular economies in which value is created while resources, waste, and emissions are kept in closed loops. We are convinced that to be effective, strategies on the most complex matters must have clear and convincing, ambitious and achievable goals. Progress must be measurable, reportable and verifiable. Solutions must simultaneously improve people’s lives, protect our habitats, and save our ecosystems.We implement projects large and small, but we always strive to find comprehensive solutions that really work. The assessment of technological potentials and challenges; the analysis of the social, economic and environmental impacts of alternate pathways; the investigation of financing and investment risks and enablers; as well as in-depth experience with the design of concrete policies and the creation of institutional effectiveness – all these are important building blocks that need to be integrated in one comprehensive approach to create successful sustainable development strategies.

SD Strategies was founded by Alexander Ochs, an internationally renowned policy advisor with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of climate, energy and the environment. Alexander currently also serves as Chair of the Energy Working Group of the Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS-GP), President of the Forum for Atlantic Climate and Energy Talks (FACET), and senior expert for the Clean Energy Solutions Center. He is a current Senior Fellow at both the Worldwatch Institute in Washington DC, where he was Director of Climate and Energy from 2009 to 2017, and at the American Institute for Contemporary Studies (AICGS).

Alexander has held research and/or teaching positions in the United States at Center for Clean Air Policy, Johns Hopkins University, George Washington University, Princeton University, and CUNY, as well as, in Germany, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Freie Universität, Humboldt Universität, LMU Munich, Albertus-Magnus University in Cologne, and CIEE Global Institute. Alexander has served on several international advisory boards including the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (ICI). In 2011, Alexander received the Sustainable Future Award of the Austrian Academic Forum for Foreign Affairs. In 2012, he served on a High-level Commission evaluating the French national research system. In 2015, he was appointed Senior Advisor to UNEP’s One Gigaton Coalition.

Student Internship Opportunities

We are currently seeking two highly motivated individuals for internships in the areas of Energy and Transport and SDG Governance.

You will find a detailed description of the positions and application process at the links below.

We are looking forward to reading your applications!

Internship SDG Governance
Internship Energy and Transport

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NEW PUBLICATION:
Our Guidance on how to develop a LT-LEDS

Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) are crucial frameworks that guide countries in aligning their developmental goals with the Paris Agreement and provide a roadmap for transitioning national economies towards sustainable, low-carbon models.

Recognizing the challenges in developing LT-LEDS, this guide serves as an essential resource. It provides practical and concise, step-by-step guidance on designing LT-LEDS.

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NEW PUBLICATION:
Subnational best practices for the energy transition

Subnational governments often struggle to find the capacity, funds, and support to become energy transition leaders.

In this report, we support state-level leadership and action in pursuit of the just energy transition in Mexico by providing a rationale for provincial action, an analysis of challenges and opportunities, and a toolkit of energy transition measures that Mexican states can consider adopting.

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NEW PUBLICATION:
Economic Transformation in International Development Cooperation

The group article the Economic Transformation for Development
(ET4D) Community of Practice has just been published by the Global Solutions Journal.

Over the past two years, we have developed three strategic pillars which are presented in this paper.

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NEW PUBLICATION:
Driving transformative climate action with sectoral decarbonisation

Sectoral decarbonization is the cornerstone of achieving our global climate goals.

The report showcases projects for decarbonization, proving that sectoral transformation not only mitigates climate risks but also creates economic, social, and environmental opportunities.

Coauthored by Alexander Ochs, Lara Seyfried Cohen (SD Strategies) and Rahul Schwenk (FLMH Labor für Politik und Kommunikation) for the Mitigation Action Facility.

SD Strategies organized and facilitated the TCB event "How Subnational Policy Pioneers are Driving the Energy Transition," featuring visionary decisionmakers from Germany, Mexico and the United States.

Leading the pack announcement and recording

Transatlantic Climate Bridge

Alexander Ochs and Pia Schrage represented SD Strategies at the Global Solutions Summit 2024. The theme this year: Moving beyond the crisis: Mobilizing Change for Global Prosperity.

SDS served as rapporteur of the Energy and Multilateralism tracks.

Alexander Ochs begleitete den Workshop „Strategische Vorausschau und Integrierte Sicherheit“ der Bundesakademie für Sicherheitspolitik (BAKS) und Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) als Fachexperte und Diskutant für das Thema Nachhaltigkeit. Beim Workshop wurden in drei Arbeitsgruppen die Themen Wehrhaftigkeit, Resilienz, und Nachhaltigkeit diskutiert.

Workshop „Strategische Vorausschau und Integrierte Sicherheit“

Alexander Ochs and Pia Schrage contributed to the annual workshop of the Economic Transformation for Development (ET4D) initiative at GIZ Berlin. Community members continued their work on practical solutions and concrete next steps in three workstreams: Shared Green Deals (co-designed by SDS), a Global Eco-Social Contract, and Investing in Local Engagement.

2024 ET4D Workshop

New Publication in the Global Solutions Journal

Financing the German Energy Transition

On the invitation of the Government of Panama and Euroclima, Alexander Ochs presented on Financing the German Energy Transition as well as PPPs in the German Energy Transition.

PPPs in the German Energy Transition.

Panama-EU Dialogue on Financing the Energy Transition

Driving Transformative Climate Action with Sectoral Decarbonisation

Planning for a Net-Zero Future: Guidance on how to develop a Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS)

Developing a national policy for deploying and scaling up E-mobility and supporting sustainable infrastructure in Papua New Guinea

Publications

Roadmap for the integration of sustainable energy and transport in small islands

Comparative study of subnational best practices for the energy transition

Transforming the energy sector through communities of practice and long-term pathways. In: NDC update report

Crunching numbers: Quantifying the sustainable development co-benefits of Mexico’s climate commitments

Taking the pulse: Understanding energy access market needs in five high-impact countries

Empowering women as managers of the renewable energy sector

Interview with Alexander Ochs, CEO of SD Strategies, on the global pandemic and the need for substantial political and economic reform. We need to make sure that recovery money is not being used to re-install the former, unsustainable economic system, but directed towards transitioning to more sustainable societies.

#SDGstimuli: Sustaining the energy and transport components of recovery packages in developing countries

SD Strategies, for the LEDS GP Energy Working Group organized a three-part online discussion series on assisting developing countries in their efforts to recover from the global Corona pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.
Our blogs summarize the discussions.

In the African Interest Yearbook, Alexander Ochs explores Africa’s alternative energy pathways, the continent’s challenges and opportunities. "Africa’s energy crisis can be solved. But this requires a new, smart, ambitious, effective and motivating approach!"