BERLIN:
ENERGY AND RAW MATERIAL USES IN FOCUS
NETWORKS IN BERLIN: RAW, ENERGY, HEAT AND MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS MUST BE COOLED TOGETHER
Berlin faces an unprecedented challenge: The city must 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 embarked on this path, but there is still much to do.
The need for a turnaround in raw materials
The climate crisis is not the only challenge of our time. Excessive consumption of natural resources threatens not only our environment, but also human rights and democracy. A turnaround in raw materials that focuses on the responsible use of metals and other primary raw materials is essential. Berlin must reduce its consumption of resources and ensure sustainable extraction and processing of raw materials.
The turnaround in raw materials 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 are to remain in the soil, while metals are to be used and reused more sustainably and for longer periods of time. For example, through initiatives such as city-wide repair cafés, long-lasting product design and consistent recycling to move from a linear disposable 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 and environmental standards. In the event of violations, legal action such as lawsuits and compensation should be made possible by legal regulations, e.g. in the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act.
Previous CO2 emissions & targets by 2045
Figure 1
Focus on renewable energies
The transition to renewable energies is a central building block in the fight against the climate crisis. The raw material turnaround 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 energies also requires responsible sourcing and use of metallic raw materials needed for the construction of wind turbines and photovoltaic systems.
Berlin aims to convert its energy production to wind and solar energy without increasing the demand for metallic raw materials. The city relies on an intelligent design of wind power and solar systems 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.
Figure 2
The solar potential of Berlin rooftops
Berlin's roofs have great potential to turn solar rays 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 km2 (area Berlin 891.8 km2) or 15 x the Tempelhofer field. With an efficiency of 19.5 percent, this could amount to 7,929 GWh per year. And this only due to previously unused space!
Figure 3
Heat transition: fair and ecological
Currently, a large part of Berlin's district heating supply is based on fossil fuels. Here, a heat transition is needed as soon as possible. For a climate-neutral heat supply, district heating must be completely converted to regenerative heat sources. These include e.g. waste heat from industrial processes and data centers, heat from river water, solar thermal energy or geothermal energy.
District heating current
Figure 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 turnaround in raw materials. By reducing the number of cars and promoting lighter and more efficient means of transport, the need for metallic raw materials can be reduced and the environmental impact reduced. Although relatively few Berliners own a car, the city is still the congestion capital of Germany. Berlin motorists were in traffic for 71 hours in 2022. 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. That means there are 1.6 bicycles in every household. According to the Berlin Cycling Plan, the cycling network is to be massively expanded. It is expected to cover 2,700 km, but only 113 km, i.e. less than five percent, have been completed.
Road requirements
Figure 5
SUMMARY:
BERLIN CAN CREATE HIS FUTURE NOW
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 materials are crucial factors that must go hand in hand in order to shape a future worth living for all.
Sources:
Figure 1:
- Source: Senate Department for Environment, Mobility, Consumer 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: Office for Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg (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
Figure 2-3:
- Source: Own presentation.
- Data:
- energieatlas.berlin.de
- metaver.de/kartendienste
Graph 4:
- Source: Senate Department for Economics Energy and Enterprises OR IP SYSCON GmbH (2022): Solar Potential Analysis Berlin – Documentation of Solar Potential Analysis, p. 12
Graph 5:
- Source: Own representation according to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Road_Space_Requirements.png
