Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Federal
Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck will open the
11th Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) today.
Ministers and high-ranking delegations from over 130
countries and representatives of the business and scientific
communities and civil society will discuss the financing of
the global energy transition and present strategies for the
further expansion of renewable energies.
Considerable
effort is still needed in order to meet global COP28 target
of tripling renewables capacity by 2030 and limiting global
warming to 1.5 degrees. With the United States, the
world’s 2nd largest emitter of CO2, again withdrawing from
the Paris Climate Agreement, there is a particularly acute
need to redouble international cooperation and engage in
constructive dialogue to facilitate a successful energy
transition. More than ever, this 11th BETD sees itself as an
implementation conference that puts the spotlight on
concrete solutions for the global energy transition, with a
particular focus on measures needed to achieve expansion
targets and on the financing of the necessary
infrastructure.
One of the BETD traditions is to
present successful energy transition projects and highlight
concrete approaches for solving current challenges. This
year, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will talk
with Indian entrepreneur Rashi Gupta and Dr. Kevin Kariuki,
Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate & Green Growth
at the African Development Bank about the interplay of
politics and industry in the transformation of energy
generation and the financing of the global energy
transition.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
As an international forum,
this year’s 11th BETD will again offer a broad program of
keynote speeches and high-profile international speakers,
including Anshula Kant, Managing Director and World Bank
Group Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Rambousek, Director,
Gender & Economic Inclusion at the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, Helen Clarkson, CEO of the
Climate Group, and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of
the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). IRENA
will also present current figures at the BETD 2025 on the
global expansion of renewable
energies.
Dr. Simone Peter, President of
the German Renewable Energy Federation (Bundesverband
Erneuerbare Energie e.V., BEE): “Renewables have become the
world’s leading driver for climate protection, innovation
and value creation. And yet greater ambition is needed if we
are to meet the global target of a tripling of renewables
capacity by 2030. This is where Europe has a key role to
play. In Germany, there is once again a significant momentum
behind the expansion of wind and solar power. In 2024,
renewables supplied nearly 60% of the total volume of
electricity generated, while the nuclear phaseout was
completed and energy generation from fossil fuel continued
to decline. The transition in the heating and transport
sectors, however, is still lagging. Under Germany’s new
government, investments in the continued expansion of
renewables must be secured, and better use must be made of
flexibility as the new guiding principle of the electricity
market. Against the background of the current geopolitical
situation, resilience and security are playing an
increasingly significant role.”
The German Government
has hosted the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue since 2015;
the conference is organised in cooperation between the
German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), the German Solar
Association (BSW-Solar), the German Energy Agency (dena) and
eclareon.
More than 2,000 guests from more than 130
countries are expected to attend the two-day BETD
conference.
