© Rolf Schulten / Berlin Energy Days

Get away from your desk and dive into the energy transition

Only if everyone’s opinions are heard and taken into account will the energy transition be a project undertaken by society as a whole and be successful. This applies to the regulatory sandboxes for the energy transition that were presented at the Berlin Energy Days, and it also applies to the public debate. Let’s take a look at theory in practice.

400 meters below ground level in Berlin, you would find the heart of the regulatory sandbox for the energy transition 'GeoSpeicherBerlin' (in German), which was presented by Stefan Kranz from Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), at the Berlin Energy Days. Combined with an innovative heat pump system, an aquifer storage unit could be used to supply more of the south-eastern part of Berlin with district heat from renewables. The innovative theory behind this is being put to the test here in the regulatory sandbox until 2027.

Three regulatory sandboxes for the energy transition in the spotlight

The regulatory sandbox on ‘large-scale heat pumps in district heating networks – installation, operation, monitoring and system integration’ shows how large-scale heat pumps can be used to cut carbon emissions. This is done at five very different power plants that are being integrated into their local district heating networks. Why these tests? The heat supply accounts for a large part of Germany’s carbon emissions. Large-scale heat pumps powered with electricity from renewables could help bring these emissions down.

The North German regulatory sandbox (in German), which was also showcased at the Energy Days, is about testing the holistic transformation of the energy system, thus helping to decarbonise all areas in which energy is consumed as fast as possible. Hydrogen is in the focus here. Later, the insights gained thanks to the regulatory sandboxes for the energy transition will be used as a blueprint, so that they can be replicated elsewhere. The regulatory sandboxes for the energy transition receive funding under the 8th Energy Research Programme on Applied Energy Research of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (in German).

Energetic Energy Days: more than 100 events

The entire programme of the Berlin Energy Days was bursting with energy – and this goes for both the digital event that took place in April and the physical event at Ludwig-Erhard-Haus in the German capital in May. At more than 100 events, a total of more than 550 speakers discussed the energy transition and climate action with their audiences. There were around 38,000 registrations this year, according to Jürgen Pöschk, main organiser and initiator of the Energy Days. In his opening speech, Mr Pöschk focused on acceptance of the energy transition, recommending everyone to be transparent in all communication about the energy transition.