Dr Christine W'rlen is the founder of Arepo and an internationally renowned expert in the area of renewable energy policies and energy systems integration as well as economic impact of renewable energy deployment. Her main area of expertise is the design and evaluation of projects and programs for sustainable energy policy as well as for the integration of renewable electricity. International activities brought her to all regions of the world, for example China, Thailand, India, South Africa, Western Africa, USA, Canada and Mexico.

As a Programme Manager at the Global Environment Facility she was responsible for renewable energies and new low-GHG emitting energy technologies and approved grants of more than $100 million annually for projects in developing countries and countries in transition. These projects were executed by the World Bank, UNDP, UNEP and regional multilateral development banks. In this capacity she worked together with international and national stakeholders in approving, monitoring and evaluating a portfolio of renewable energy projects in more than 60 countries. The focus of this work was the extraction of lessons and experiences on the effectiveness and efficiency of policy interventions for the development of sustainable energy systems. She also developed the methodology of carbon accounting in the context of the GEF, contributing to a clarification of roles between GEF and CDM. 'She is a member of the Climate Evaluation Community of Practice as well as the PIDG Development Impact Panel.

As Head of Renewable Energies Department at the German Energy Agency (dena), Dr. W'rlen managed a number of export support instruments of the German government specifically tailored to the renewable energy industry. In that position she was responsible for managing a business unit of 25 people. She is a lecturer at the Technical University (TU) of Berlin on Solar Markets and Business Models and at the University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin on project management and evaluation.