Steinbach: "The energy transition in Germany will only succeed if it is coupled with the heating transition."

Cottbus. "The heating transition, as part of the transformation towards climate neutrality by 2045, is based on increasing energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and further expanding renewable energies, among other things," said Brandenburg's Energy Minister Jörg Steinbach today at the start of the Brandenburg Energy Day 2024. "The heating transition differs structurally from the electricity transition. The heat supplier is predominantly also the installer and operator of its own generation plant and its own grid. Traditional redundancies are also rarely feasible. An intelligent and systemic approach is crucial here," explains the Minister. "The energy transition in Germany will only succeed if it is coupled with the heating transition," says Steinbach.

Thanks to its early focus on renewable energies, Brandenburg is one of the leading states in the energy transition. The challenges of the heating transition can be realized more quickly with the involvement of local authorities, business and politics. Energy producers and infrastructures are changing, new business models are emerging through synergy effects of technologies and materials.

"Transformation should always go hand in hand with local needs. The state government is committed to this. The aim is to maintain the attractiveness of Brandenburg as a business location in order to keep up with global competition in the future," explains Steinbach. The state is striving to keep employers with location security in Brandenburg and at the same time attract new companies - and to support them in the transformation processes towards_{CO2 neutrality}.

The President of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande says: "A sustainable heat transition requires interdisciplinary solutions and a strong network. The development of innovative technologies, studies on infrastructure and construction planning that make sense in the long term, concepts for decentralized storage systems, battery recycling and hydrogen research are just a few examples of topics that are located at the BTU and reflect the interdisciplinarity and scientific excellence in our Energy Transition and Decarbonization profile line. In projects such as SpreeTec NeXt and the Energy Innovation Center, BTU combines scientific expertise with economic challenges in the energy sector in close cooperation with regional and national companies."

Jens Warnken, President of the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce, believes that a lot is already technologically possible, but that decisive political levers still need to be moved:
"Many companies are faced with the decision of how to secure the heat supply for their buildings and commercial processes in the future. The topic of this year's Brandenburg Energy Day is therefore highly topical. Much is already technologically possible, but political levers still need to be set in motion to make these solutions economically viable. Above all, cheap electricity is needed if it is to be used even more than before for heating applications. However, reliable framework conditions are also urgently needed for companies to make long-term investments. The fact that Brandenburg's economy is already innovating in the field of the heat transition is demonstrated by the numerous local projects from the presentations and the regional providers at the trade exhibition. I am particularly pleased about this."

According to Dr. Kathrin Goldammer, spokesperson for the Berlin-Brandenburg Energy Technology Cluster, the focus of this year's Energy Day is on networking between business and science: "The Brandenburg Energy Day is an excellent opportunity for experts and interested parties to find out about innovative technologies, sustainable solutions and future trends for implementing the heating transition and to network. We are convinced that this event will make a valuable contribution to the further development of the energy transition and to strengthening the capital region."

The Brandenburg Energy Day, organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy in cooperation with the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce, has been taking place for more than 23 years and is an important instrument for implementing energy policy at state level. The contributions at this year's Energy Day are intended to show what opportunities and solutions can arise for Brandenburg's economy in shaping the energy transition.