The recent decisions by the Constitutional Court and the German government on national climate legislation have brought new wind to the climate debate. But what does this mean for Berlin? Are the new targets suitable for transfer to the capital? Is the level of ambition sufficient to limit CO2 emissions "in line with Paris requirements" and allow Berlin to shoulder its fair share of the 1.5 degree target? And which areas of improvement do Berlin's politicians have to tackle now in order to set the course towards a climate-neutral Berlin 2045 without burdening the city's most disadvantaged residents in particular?

How circular economy approaches in the construction sector can be strengthened is discussed in this episode of Wandelwecker together with two proven experts in circular construction.

On 30 April 2021 at the online Berliner ENERGIETAGE, the research network Ecornet Berlin presented how tenants can benefit from the energy transition.

The innovation field of construction is a resource-relevant field in Berlin – in 2017, the construction sector accounted for about 22 percent of the raw material input of the state of Berlin. Currently, the recycling rate for mineral construction waste is around 50 percent, and is expected to increase to more than 60 percent by 2030. Circular economy approaches in the field of construction have to cover the entire life cycle: from the design of durable and deconstructable structures to the use-phase and material-preserving re-use to circular business models.

In the project "Knowledge. Transformation. Berlin.", the Ecornet Berlin research network pursued the goal of expanding Berlin's pioneering role in innovative approaches for a liveable, climate-neutral and resource-efficient city. Therefore, the research network focused on the existing strengths and diversity of Berlin, but also on the existing ecological and social challenges. The goal was to expand Berlin's pioneering role in the development of innovative approaches in an innovatively way. To this end, the associated institutes worked on several projects in the thematic fields of social climate transformation, sustainable economies and digitalization.

Tenant electricity systems generate solar power on apartment buildings and deliver it directly to the households in the building. In a new study, Katharina Umpfenbach and Ricarda Faber (Ecologic Institute) evaluate the effects of the existing tenant electricity systems in Berlin. The bottom line: Berlin's 74 tenant electricity projects have positive ecological and socio-economic effects, but these remain low compared to the technically available potential. Currently, only 1 % of the tenant electricity potential is used. The study is available for download.

Photovoltaic technology is a key lever for decarbonising Berlin's power consumption and for social participation in the transformation process, especially for tenants. Therefore, solar energy and projects on rental apartment blocks are key elements of the Berlin Senate's Energy and Climate Protection Programme. In the research project "ElectricityNeighbours", Ecologic Institute and IÖW evaluate the experience gained so far in implementing such prosumer projects in Berlin, outline innovation potentials for the field and develop ideas on how the regulatory framework can be further developed. In doing so, the team looks beyond pure tenant electricity projects to the potentials of sector coupling.