New Energy for Climate Action in Berlin?

New Energy for Climate Action in Berlin?

Event: Digital Event

Discussion
Date: 2 June 2021
Location: online

The recent decisions by the Constitutional Court and the German government on national climate legislation have brought new wind to the climate debate. But what does this mean for Berlin? Are the new targets suitable for transfer to the capital? Is the level of ambition sufficient to limit CO₂ emissions "in line with Paris requirements" and allow Berlin to shoulder its fair share of the 1.5 degree target? And which areas of improvement do Berlin's politicians have to tackle now in order to set the course towards a climate-neutral Berlin 2045 without burdening the city's most disadvantaged residents in particular?

In the first edition of Wandelwecker, our morning impulse for a social and ecological metropolis, we discussed these questions together with two proven experts on energy and climate policy in Berlin and you.

Listen disussion

More ambitious climate targets at the federal level are also putting pressure on the German capital. We discuss the areas of improvement for a climate-neutral Berlin 2045.

Zirkuläres Bauen in Berlin – Transformationsroadmap

Circular City Berlin: Vom Potenzial zur Umsetzung

Year 2021

Publication:Report

This background paper for the research project "Digitalisation – Setting the Course for a Social-Ecological Digital Transformation in Berlin" within the project "Knowledge. Change. Berlin" provides an overview of the sustainability and digitalisation goals of the state of Berlin. First, the paper outlines sustainability goals relevant for the project in the following topic areas: data governance, climate protection, transport and mobility, energy and health.

Nachhaltigkeits- und Digitalisierungsziele des Landes Berlin

Einordnung der Ziele

Year 2021

Project

The project "Data Governance and Regulation for a Sustainable Berlin" examined what forms of data regulation are possible and necessary at city level in Berlin to ensure that data-driven services, products and platforms are developed and used to meet social and environmental sustainability goals.

Data Governance and Regulation for a Sustainable Berlin

Jul 2020 - Dec 2021

Publication:Report

This paper describes important findings from the project "Data Governance and Regulation for a Sustainable Berlin" and formulates – in addition to the application field-specific papers – overarching recommendations.

Datengovernance und -regulierung für ein nachhaltiges Berlin

Übergeordnete Erkenntnisse und Empfehlungen

Year 2022

Publication:Report

This paper examines the concept of an "extended" digital product passport from a socio-ecological perspective using the example of batteries for electric vehicles. It evaluates different approaches to data regulation and formulates policy recommendations for decision makers in Berlin. It is based on preliminary work from the project, in which in particular three ideal types of data regulation and a methodology for their scenario-based evaluation were developed.

Nachhaltige Datenregulierung für die Kreislaufwirtschaft in Berlin

Hintergründe und Policy-Empfehlungen

Year 2022

Publication:Policy Brief

This policy brief examines current proposals for the further expansion of photovoltaics. It shows that the two central goals – accelerating the PV expansion and involving residents – are in tension with each other, at least in the short term. Based on the analysis, the following sequence of measures is proposed: First, as an immediate intervention, PV plants that feed all of their electricity generation into the grid should be made economically viable again.

Wie gelingt der urbane Solar-Turbo?

Reformoptionen für einen beschleunigten Ausbau von Solaranlagen auf Mehrfamilienhäusern in Berlin

Year 2021

Publication:Report

Cover of the publication "StromNachbarn: Reformoptionen für einen beschleunigten Ausbau von Photovoltaikanlagen auf Mehrfamilienhäusern in Berlin" with a view over Berlin

This study examines current proposals for the further expansion of photovoltaics and analyses the solutions used in Spain, the Netherlands and Austria. It shows that the two central goals – accelerating the PV expansion and involving residents – are in tension with each other, at least in the short term.

StromNachbarn: Reformoptionen für einen beschleunigten Ausbau von Photovoltaikanlagen auf Mehrfamilienhäusern in Berlin

Year 2021

News

The city of Berlin has many plans when it comes to climate protection. One major roadblock is the heating transition: To become climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest, around 360,000 residential and non-residential buildings in the capital must be supplied with environmentally friendly space heating and hot water. Furthermore, all new buildings must be planned and constructed in a way that conserves resources. In addition to the organizational and technical challenges involved in achieving a climate-friendly heat supply, a key question is how this can be achieved in a socially just manner that ensures rental prices remain affordable for low-income groups as well. On 2 November 2021, five leading Berlin institutes in sustainability research contributed to the conference "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021" Solution Approaches for Climate-Neutral Housing and Construction and invite stakeholders from the city to the discussion.

Climate Neutrality: Berlin Discusses the Future of Housing and Construction

Conference: "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021"

27 October 2021

Event:Conference

In the Ecornet Berlin research partnership, five Berlin institutes of transdisciplinary sustainability research were jointly providing impetus for Berlin's transformation. Their annual conference, "Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021" brought current research findings into dialogue with experiences from other cities and the voices of Berlin's practitioners and civil society – for a social and ecological capital.

Knowledge. Change. Berlin. 2021

Annual Conference of the Research Network Ecornet Berlin

2 November 2021
Berlin, Germany

Organizer: Forschungverbund Ecornet Berlin, Germany
Date: 2 June 2021
Location: online
Language: German
Project: Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin – Transdisciplinary research for a social and ecological metropolis
Project ID: 30010
Keywords: Adaptation

Climate

Energy

Further Links

PublicationReportStromNachbarn: Evaluation der sozialen und ökologischen Wirkungen von Mieterstromanlagen in Berlin

Ecornet

Tenant electricity systems generate solar power on apartment buildings and deliver it directly to the households in the building. In a new study, Katharina Umpfenbach and Ricarda Faber evaluate the effects of the existing tenant electricity systems in Berlin. The bottom... Read more

Umpfenbach, K., Faber, R. (2021). StromNachbarn: Evaluation der sozialen und ökologischen Wirkungen von Mieterstromanlagen in Berlin, Berlin: Ecornet Berlin.

PublicationReportCircular City Berlin – Kreislaufwirtschaft der zweiten Generation

Publication Cover with a photo of the city of Berlin

As part of the CiBER project "Circular City Berlin - pathways from potential to implementation", initiatives and business models are being investigated that can contribute to the development of a next-generation circular economy in Berlin. The special focus is on the... Read more

Behrendt, Siegfried; Zwiers, Jakob; Henseling, Christine; Hirschnitz-Garbers, Martin (2021): Circular City Berlin – Kreislaufwirtschaft der zweiten Generation. Konzeptionelle Übersicht eines neuen Innovationsökosystems, Berlin: Ecornet Berlin.

PublicationReportZirkuläre Innovationen im Bereich Bauen in Berlin

The innovation field of construction is a resource-relevant field in Berlin – in 2017, the construction sector accounted for about 22 percent of the raw material input of the state of Berlin. Currently, the recycling rate for mineral construction waste is around 50... Read more

Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. and Hinzmann, M. (2021). Zirkuläre Innovationen im Bereich Bauen in Berlin –Potenziale und Governance-Ansätze (Wissen. Wandel. Berlin. Report Nr. 6). Berlin: Ecologic Institute, Forschungsverbund Ecornet Berlin.

ProjectElectricityNeighbours – Can tenants in Berlin's apartment buildings become prosumers through solar power projects and sector coupling?

Photo by Istvan Hernek on Unsplash

Photovoltaic technology is a key lever for decarbonising Berlin's power consumption and for social participation in the transformation process, especially for tenants. Therefore, solar energy and projects on rental apartment blocks are key elements of the Berlin Senate... Read more

ElectricityNeighbours – Can tenants in Berlin's apartment buildings become prosumers through solar power projects and sector coupling?

Duration: Jan 2021 - Mar 2022
Funding: Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery , Germany

EventDigital EventWhat Role do Tenants Play in the Energy Transition in Berlin?

On 30 April 2021 at the online Berliner ENERGIETAGE, the research network Ecornet Berlin presented how tenants can benefit from the energy transition. Members of the research network provided three expert inputs on: "Energy poverty in Berlin" (IÖW) "The impacts... Read more

Digital Event:What Role do Tenants Play in the Energy Transition in Berlin?

Date: 30 April 2021
Location: Berlin, Germany

ProjectCircular City Berlin – From potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)

Photo by 🇨🇭 Claudio Schwarz | @purzlbaum on Unsplash (modified by IZT)

The project "Circular City Berlin – from potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)" analysed and promoted innovative approaches to the circular economy in various sectors in Berlin. In view of the expected further growth, urban densification and increased economic... Read more

Circular City Berlin – From potential towards implementation (CiBER 1)

Duration: Jul - Dec 2020
Funding: Der Regierende Bürgermeister von Berlin, Senatskanzlei Wissenschaft und Forschung, Germany

EventDigital EventCircular Economy of the Next Generation. Perspectives of Social-ecological Research and Initiatives in Berlin.

Berlin is increasingly developing as a dynamic innovation field of the circular economy – a circular, resource-saving economy. (Social) innovations are no longer generated only in the field of waste recycling, but increasingly in the design and manufacture of... Read more

Digital Event:Circular Economy of the Next Generation. Perspectives of Social-ecological Research and Initiatives in Berlin.

Date: 5 November 2020
Location: online

NewsNew Research Network Launched: Berlin on the way to becoming a social and ecological city

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