Berlin:
Focus on energy and raw materials transition
Networked turnarounds in Berlin: Raw materials, energy, heat and mobility challenges must be considered together
Berlin is facing an unprecedented challenge: The city has to face the climate crisis and at the same time master the transition to sustainable energy and a responsible use of resources. The capital has already set out on this path, but there is still a lot to do.
The need for a raw material transition
The climate crisis is not the only challenge of our time. Excessive use of natural resources threatens not only our environment, but also human rights and democracy. A raw material transition that focuses on the responsible handling of metals and other primary raw materials is essential. Berlin must reduce its resource consumption and ensure sustainable extraction and processing of raw materials.
The raw materials turnaround in Berlin is based on two main pillars:
Reduction of primary raw material consumption:
The Berliner Stadtgesellschaft is called upon to significantly reduce the consumption of primary raw materials. Fossil raw materials such as coal and oil should remain in the soil, while metals should be used more sustainably and longer and reused. For example, through initiatives such as city-wide repair cafés, durable product design and consistent recycling to move from a linear throwaway society to a circular society.
Sustainable raw material extraction:
The need for the use of metals remains, but the extraction and processing of these raw materials must be carried out in strict compliance with human and labour rights as well as environmental standards. In the case of violations, legal action such as lawsuits and compensation should be made possible by legal regulations, e.g. in the Supply Chain Care Obligations Act.
Previous CO2 emissions & targets by 2045
Graph 1
Focus on renewable energies
The transition to renewable energies is a key component in the fight against the climate crisis. The raw materials transition in Berlin aims to reduce the consumption of primary raw materials while promoting the sustainable use and recycling of resources. This is particularly relevant for the energy transition, as the transition to renewable energy also requires responsible sourcing and use of metallic raw materials needed for the construction of wind turbines and photovoltaic systems.
Berlin aims to convert energy production to wind and solar energy without increasing the demand for metallic raw materials. The city relies on an intelligent design of wind and solar power plants in order to enable the recycling of raw materials and at the same time promote the expansion of renewable energies.
Wind power and Berlin
Due to the dense population, the city state of Berlin offers little potential for wind turbines. The surrounding area of Berlin in the state of Brandenburg, on the other hand, offers a lot of potential.
Graph 2
The solar potential of Berlin rooftops
Berlin's rooftops have great potential to turn sunbeams into energy. The roofs of around 420,000 of the approximately 536,000 buildings in Berlin are suitable for PV. Taken together, this gives a total area of 45.7 km? (area Berlin 891.8 km3) or 15÷ the Tempelhofer Feld. With an efficiency of 19.5 percent, this could result in 7,929 GWh per year. And this only by hitherto unused area!
Graph 3
Heat transition: fair and ecological
3. Largest district heating network in Europe!
Currently, a large part of Berlin's district heating supply is based on fossil fuels. Here, a heat turnaround is urgently needed. For a climate-neutral heat supply, district heating must be completely converted to regenerative heat sources. These are e.g. waste heat from industrial processes and data centers, heat from river water, solar thermal energy or geothermal energy.
District heating currently
Graph 4
Mobility transition: Fewer cars, more space for everyone
Another important step towards sustainability is the mobility transition. The mobility turnaround in Berlin, which promotes the switch to environmentally friendly means of transport such as bicycles and public transport, is closely linked to the raw materials turnaround. By reducing the number of cars and promoting lighter and more efficient means of transport, the demand for metallic raw materials can be reduced and the environmental impact reduced. Although relatively few Berliners own a car, the city is still the traffic jam capital of Germany. In 2022, Berlin drivers were stuck in traffic jams for 71 hours. Berlin plans to massively expand its bicycle infrastructure and public transport. So far, too little has been achieved, although fewer cars are the solution. There are about three million bicycles in Berlin. This means that there are 1.6 bicycles in every household. According to the Berlin Cycling Plan, the cycling network is to be massively expanded. It is planned to cover 2,700 km, but only 113 km – less than five percent – have been implemented.
Road requirements
Graph 5
Summary:
Berlin can now shape its future
Berlin has set out to become a more sustainable and equitable city. The challenges are great, but with political will, social rethinking and attractive alternatives, Berlin can achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2045. The energy and
Raw material transitions are crucial factors that must go hand in hand in order to shape a livable future for all.
References
Figure 1:
- Source: Senate Department for Environment, Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Protection (2022): Monitoring report on the implementation of the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme (BEK 2030) reporting year 2021, p. 12.
- Source: Berlin-Brandenburg Statistics Office (2022): Statistical Report E IV 5 - j / 21 Energy and CO2 data in Berlin 2021 Preliminary results, p. 25
- Source: Berlin Climate Protection and Energy Transition Act of 22 March 2016, p. 7 and §3.1 respectively
Graph 2-3:
- Source: My own presentation.
- Data:
- energieatlas.berlin.de
- metaver.de/kartendienste
Figure 4:
- Source: Senate Department for Economic Affairs Energy and Enterprises OR IP SYSCON GmbH (2022): Solar potential analysis Berlin - Documentation of the solar potential analysis, p. 12
Figure 5:
- Source: Custom rendering according to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Road_Space_Requirements.png
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