03/24/2025

The IKI at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2025

Writing: Berlin Energy Tansition Dialogue

From panel discussions to an information booth: The International Climate Initiative was represented in various formats at the eleventh edition of the international conference.

Time for the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) 2025: For the eleventh time, the German Federal Government invited leading representatives from politics, economy, science and civil society to Berlin to discuss strategies and solutions for the global energy transition. The conference has belonged to the most important international forums for this topic area since 2015.

High-level events on the decarbonisation of industry and the financing of nationally determined contributions

For the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the conference was a good opportunity for engaging in expert exchange and networking across aspects of its prioritised fields of action.

[Click here for the Strategy of the International Climate Initiative]

For example, the IKI supported the organisation of two High Level Round Tables on the topics of “Accelerating industrial decarbonisation: opportunities and challenges for international competitiveness and development and the role of the Climate Club” and “Driving Investment through energy targets in NDCs: A private Sector - Government Dialogue.”

The round tables were attended by important stakeholders from international governments, industry, finance and international organisations which enabled the discussion of new perspectives and potential strategies.

[Contributions of the IKI to the Climate Club]

[IKI approaches to the implementation of the NDCs]

Best practice examples from the International Climate Initiative

Two men talking — Dr Philipp Behrens, Head of the International Climate Initiative Division at the BMWK, in conversation about decentralised energy supply in Ukraine.

Three examples of IKI project practice were also presented in the Cooperation Dialogues format of the conference:

At the event “Community Energy Resilience in Ukraine Based on Decentralised Renewables”, Dr Philipp Behrens, Head of the International Climate Initiative Division at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), presented the pilot project “Renewables for Resilient Ukraine (R2U)”.

Through the IKI, the BMWK is working with R2U to promote the expansion of a decentralised, renewable energy infrastructure in Ukraine - thus strengthening the resilience of the energy system interlinked with a climate-friendly energy supply. Based on the successful implementation of the pilot project, the BMWK has provided a further EUR 20 million through the European Investment Bank to expand its support and promote the dissemination of lessons learned.

[Reconstruction with renewables: Emergency aid, security of supply and climate change mitigation]

[IKI in Ukraine]

In the Cooperation Dialogue “MENA Energy Cooperation - Success Stories and Vision”, the participants discussed the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as a key area for the global energy transition. A decisive success factor here is international cooperation, including the promotion of knowledge transfer, for example. The International Climate Initiative has also been involved in this process for many years with projects from its funding area “Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions”.

Through the project “Linking ambitious renewable energy development and efficient sector coupling MENA region ” for example, the IKI is contributing to better framework conditions for the integration of renewable energy into the electricity system in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Türkiye. Due to the support in technical, regulatory and financing issues, the utilisation of renewable energies can be made easier and the energy transition in partner countries can be accelerated.

In a third Cooperation Dialogue on the topic of “Energy Transition Trainings for Energy Communities in Colombia”, the main focus of the discussion was placed on the recently founded Regional Training Centre for Renewable Energies (CERFER). The training centre is financed by the IKI and headed by the German-Colombian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the German Energy Agency (dena). CERFER is contributing to pressing ahead with the energy transition in Colombia by strengthening communities and developing specialised renewable energy training courses. This expands the local vocational training opportunities and promotes social integration. The modular training courses and the “Train-the-Trainer” approach support the establishment of energy communities in the country.

Focus on energy efficiency: side event organised by the BMWK

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action made use of the Berlin Energy Week around the BETD to dedicate a whole afternoon on the day before the conference to the topic of energy efficiency - an important component of the global energy transition.

Just under 100 people took part on site at the BMWK and just as many online at the “Berlin Energy Efficiency Day - From Potential to Momentum”. They discussed how energy efficiency in the building sector and in the industry as a whole can be strengthened and how the various actors can globally promote the topic of energy efficiency in 2025.

Best practice examples from the International Climate Initiative were also presented: The implementing organisation Guidehouse, for example, presented best practices on “Energy Performance Certificates” on the basis of the project “BUILD ME – boosting ambitions to achieve a climate-neutral building standard in the MENA region” . The Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) shared the positive experiences gained in the area of financing energy efficiency building renovation from the IKI project “Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB)”.

The results of the efficiency day were also taken up in various events at the BETD itself, including in a dialogue hub contribution.

Click here for the recording of the Dialogue Hub session

May we introduce...? Information booth on the IKI

Two people in a conversation — IKI information booth at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2025.

Visitors to the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue also had the opportunity to learn more about the International Climate Initiative in personal discussions during the conference.

Employees from the Energy, Industry and Technology department of Zukunft-Umwelt-Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH, which has organised the project management for the IKI since 2018, were available to answer questions about the funding programme. The IKI information booth was located in the ‘Solutions Hub’ of the BETD and offered information on funding opportunities as well as insights into IKI´s project work.

Background: The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue

Since 2015, the German Federal Government has issued invitations to the annual Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. The main objective is to promote dialogue and cooperation between the key actors in the energy transition in order to press ahead with an environmentally friendly, safe and affordable global energy transition. Strategies and solutions are discussed that enable the transition to 100 per cent renewable energy - which is not only conducive for climate change mitigation, but also promotes economic growth and employment.

Click here for the BETD2025 website

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