Electricity neighbours: social-ecological self-sufficiency through renewable energies and sector coupling? A project of the joint program ‘Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin.’ by the research partnership Ecornet Berlin

Solar energy and tenants‘ electricity are a focus of Berlin's Energy and Climate Protection Program (BEK 2030), because the technology is central to climate protection and for social participation in the transformation process of the „Energiewende“. Tenants in particular have so far not been able to take advantage of many opportunities to participate. The large-scale involvement of this target group also suggests a large acceptance and motivation factor for the „Energiewende“. In order to promote the expansion, the Senate founded the platform for tenants’ electricity and the SolarZentrum Berlin in 2017.

In the project, the existing measures are to be applied in order to better understand their socio-ecological impact and in a further step to bring them to greater development. But it should also be thought beyond the current state so that Berlin can optimally use the opportunities of the rapidly advancing technology development worldwide. To this end, specific recommendations on regulatory approaches are to be developed and submitted to the Senate. Service providers and companies that are involved in the area of tenant electricity should receive concrete support for planning and implementation.

The project is part of the joint program “Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin. – Transdisciplinary research for a social and ecological metropolis” of the research partnership Ecornet Berlin and is carried out with the financial support of The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery – Higher Education and Research.