This conference was aimed at researchers whose work is funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), specifically for research projects in the areas of energy and climate change. Research funding for renewable energy is a key element for increasing its share in electricity consumption to 35% and its share in final energy consumption to 18% by 2020. Even higher shares of 80% and 60%, respectively, should be achieved by 2050.

Research grants are an important instrument for reducing the cost of renewable energy technologies. Research helps to optimize the energy system and to further improve the overall environmental and ecological compatibility of renewable energy. The goal of the BMU is to promote and secure internationally competitive jobs in research institutes and companies by supporting research in renewable energy.

The participants of this conference presented and discussed their completed and ongoing projects. Through the exchange, synergies between the different projects were discovered and any duplication of funding efforts were avoided.

The conference was an important exchange point for researchers in the field of renewable energy. Aside from exchanging ideas, new personal contacts were made to facilitate research collaboration in order to increase the overall performance of researchers.

Through the creation and dissemination of conference proceedings, the diversity of the German ecological research landscape will be documented.