A climate-neutral energy system requires not only the expansion of renewable energy sources but also the right digital technologies. Hannes Bluhm of the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) examined the environmental impacts of digitalization in the energy sector in his successfully completed dissertation, “Assessing the Environmental Effects of Energy Sector Digitalization – Evidence from Small-Scale Energy Flexibilities.” His research focuses on the flexible operation of household energy technologies, particularly photovoltaic (PV) systems with battery storage, heat pumps, and electric vehicles. more

According to Berlin’s Heat Plan, around one-fifth of the city’s heated floor area is suitable for neighborhood heating networks. In these areas, smaller local heating grids using waste heat, geothermal energy, or other local energy sources could eventually replace gas- and oil-based heating systems. Potential operators include local citizen initiatives. The Berlin-based Aktionskreis Energie e.V. (AkE) aims to connect and provide a plattform for such initiatives. During one of AkE’s networking meetings in June, a workshop with intiatives sought to identify challenges they faced and ways in which they might be supported. The workshop was held as part of the “Heat Transition in Northern Schöneberg” (WärmSchöN) project and took place at the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW). more

What effect does repairing have on people – and what does it take for even more people to find the courage to take on a repair themselves? The research team behind the project “The Role of Emotions in Social Innovations for Sustainable Consumption” (REsI), led by the IÖW, explored these questions on July 8, 2026, at a conversation café held at the “Kreisler” community-based repair and loan store in Gropiusstadt (Berlin). The event invited people who are involved in repair cafés or who are otherwise committed to repairing things. more

New findings from the series of studies “Zukunft? Jugend fragen!” show that environmental and climate protection continues to lose importance among young people (age 14 to 22) in Germany. Only about one-third considers the topic “very important”. In 2021, it was one half of those surveyed. At the same time, the prospects for the future of the environment and climate remain bleak, with only one-quarter of respondents expressing optimism. The majority of young people also look pessimistically toward the future of German society as a whole. At 73 percent of respondents, this proportion is significantly higher than in previous years. The study was conducted by the IÖW in cooperation with Verian on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA). more

The High-Tech Agenda Germany, with its focus on six key technologies, is the Federal Government's flagship strategy for research, technology, and innovation. In a statement published today, the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) – a network of eight leading sustainability research institutes in Germany – calls for the Agenda to place sustainability and societal resilience at the heart of its future development. The network argues that the Agenda and its technology roadmaps should do more to address today's major societal challenges and support the transition to a sustainable economy and society. more

Yesterday in Berlin, Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär presented her ministry’s new funding strategy, “Research for Sustainability” (Orig. „Forschung für Nachhaltigkeit (FONA)“). The Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) – a network of eight leading sustainability research institutes in Germany – welcomes the high priority that the minister herself and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) place on research into sustainability and economic transformation, as well as the ministry’s intention to increasingly fund interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research addressing major societal challenges. To implement the strategy, the institutes propose a broader understanding of innovation, impact, and knowledge transfer, and recommend paying even greater attention to the social dimension of sustainability. more

How can urban green spaces make city neighborhoods more climate-resilient while simultaneously strengthening local equity and cohesion? Since early 2026, the socio-ecological junior research group ArboRes – a consortium of researchers from the IÖW and the University of Augsburg – has been investigating this question. Under the title “Green for Everyone? – Just transition to resilient urban neighborhoods (ArboRes),” the interdisciplinary research team is investigating how civil society and municipalities can design urban greening in a socially equitable manner, as well as the challenges and conditions for success involved. more

Greater sufficiency, based on the principle of “enough for everyone through conscious action,” could help ensure and enhance people’s well-being. Dr. Lars-Arvid Brischke, Monika Orlowski, and Jan Wiesenthal illustrate this in the introductory article to the special issue “Ökologisches Wirtschaften”. The authors characterize sufficiency as a guiding principle that can only be effective if it is anchored in everyday life, consumption decisions, and lifestyles over the long term and is supported politically and socially. more

Energy sharing is set to become possible in Germany starting June 1, 2026. From that date on, private households, municipal institutions, associations, cooperatives, and small businesses will be able to share their own locally generated renewable electricity with other consumers via the public power grid – that is, in theory. However, practical implementation is being delayed, partly due to uncertainties regarding billing. The “Forum EnShare” project, led by the Future Energy Lab of the German Energy Agency (dena) and the IÖW, is helping to clarify unanswered questions through dialogue with stakeholders in the field. more

The State of Berlin plans to present its municipal heat planning in the coming months, after which the focus will shift to implementing the heating transition. One challenge here is Berlin’s numerous older neighborhoods. In a new research project, the “Schöneberger Norden” neighborhood is serving as a model for developing solutions for climate-friendly and affordable heating in existing buildings in densely populated inner-city areas. With funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the WärmSchöN project is investigating how the district, the state, and local stakeholders can jointly implement the heating transition at the neighborhood level. more