Welcome
Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2025: Seeing change as an opportunity
Today, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD.25) gets under way – one of the world's leading conferences on the global energy transition. Deputy Chancellor Robert Habeck and Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will open the conference together. The event will focus on the implementation of COP28, the global goals for expanding the use of renewables, energy efficiency and the phase-out of fossil fuels, as well as on mobilising funds for the energy transition. For this, BETD.25 is bringing together high-level representatives from around the world – including Ministers, representatives of industry, science and academia as well as stakeholders from civil society.
Seeing change as a challenge and an opportunity
Precisely because the world is currently experiencing great geopolitical tensions, the sustainable transformation of energy systems with a view to achieving energy security and protecting the climate has become more important than ever. The global energy transition is an opportunity to bring about sustainable economic development and secure energy supplies. It offers the possibility to shape a sustainable future for our publics, economies and environment.
International cooperation holds the key to the energy transition
The energy transition is a global project. Individual countries’ efforts will not be sufficient for reaching the global climate targets and ensuring secure supplies of energy all around the world. BETD.25 highlights the importance of international cooperation. In addition to multilateral formats, Germany is relying on long-term energy and climate partnerships with more than 30 countries so as to accelerate investment in clean technologies and sustainable infrastructure.
Technological developments and economic opportunities
The prerequisites for a successful transition have never been better: the cost of renewables has declined sharply, the worldwide expansion of wind and solar energy is moving ahead at a tremendous pace and the price of technologies for energy storage is becoming ever more competitive.
The development of new hydrogen markets, the expansion of network infrastructure and efforts to make industries climate neutral are key building blocks of the strategy.
The global energy transition: Progressing from identifying a target to implementation
The question is no longer whether or not we will phase out fossil energy, but rather how we will shape the transition. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by 2035 the market volume for key energy transition technologies will be the same as that of today’s global oil market. What we must focus on now is creating fair market conditions that take social and economic aspects into equal consideration. In a fair energy transition, all countries – irrespective of their current situation – must have access to climate-friendly technology and investments.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock:
The climate crisis does not have a pause button, and neither does the response in the form of the global energy transition. This is not a question of ideology, but rather one of cold, hard economics. And the market is clearly pointing to renewables. In 2024, on a global level, investments in clean sources of energy and infrastructure were nearly twice as high as investments in fossil energies. As the world’s third-largest economy, this development is not only in our own interest in terms of industrial policy, it also strengthens global energy security.
We want to be a partner when it comes to further eliminating impediments to the energy transition, such as high capital costs for investing in African countries. This topic will be as important at this year’s BETD.25 as the need to simultaneously maintain social and environmental standards in doing so – a point that is so very important to many of our partners around the world. After all, everyone benefits from cleaner energy – it is the key building block for effective climate action, and it makes our world a safer place. What is more, it strengthens our shared resilience, because wind and solar power are not tied to fluctuating prices for fossil fuels or to the discretion of a few key suppliers.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr Robert Habeck:
The future lies in a world without fossil energy. The crucial question is how to shape the energy transition in a way that is economically viable, socially just, and secure. Bringing stakeholders together to develop common solutions, BETD.25 is addressing this very question.
Despite geopolitical crises and economic challenges, the transition is progressing. The momentum is irreversible: the roll-out of renewable energy is picking up speed all around the world, bolstered by falling costs and advances in technology. Already today, more than 80% of newly installed electricity generation capacity is based on renewable energy sources – clear proof of the economic viability of the energy transition.
Since 2015, the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue has been hosted by the Federal Government and co-organised with the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), the German Energy Agency (dena) and the consultancy firm eclareon.
For this year’s programme and more information, visit www.energydialogue.berlin. Press enquiries should be directed to press@energydialogue.berlin