The Oldenburg Energy Cluster OLEC e.V. was launched in December 2004. The cluster celebrated its anniversary year on Friday, 12 January 2024 together with its experts Dr Simone Peter (President of BEE e.V.), Prof. Ralph Bruder (President of the University of Oldenburg), Prof. Sebastian Lehnhoff (Chairman of the Board of OFFIS e.V.), Dr Magnus Buhlert (Lower Saxony Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection) and OLEC founding father Dietmar Schütz as well as around 130 guests from business, science, education and politics.

Roland Hentschel, Chairman of the Board of OLEC e.V., said: "The great response to our now traditional OLEC New Year's networking event shows that OLEC, as one of the leading cross-technology networks for energy transformation, has become an integral part of the innovation landscape in the North. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the north-west is becoming a "powerhouse" for integrated transformation processes and is thus taking on a pioneering role nationwide. Various legislative measures have now been initiated by the federal and state governments: Building Energy Act, Heat Planning Act, amendment to the Lower Saxony Climate Protection Act. Climate Protection Act. Now we need to see whether they all really work in the following four directions: 1. accelerated expansion of renewables 2. reduction of barriers to authorisation procedures and bureaucracy 3. faster expansion of grid infrastructure 4. affordability and fair burden sharing of energy costs. OLEC will continue to contribute to the further process with the combined expertise of its members."

Greetings also came from Prof Ralph Bruder, President of the University of Oldenburg, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. "For the implementation of major transformation projects such as the energy transition, this networking and perception of social responsibility is absolutely essential and the north-west region is excellently positioned here. OLEC plays a major role in this for the energy sector."

After the welcoming address, the panel of experts present, moderated by Cluster Manager Isabelle Ehrhardt and Roland Hentschel, entered into the discussion. The focus was on how Oldenburg and the north-west region are contributing to the success of the energy transition and which key future topics characterise the region. Dietmar Schütz emphasised that an important aspect of implementing the energy transition is broad social acceptance, which is currently lacking due to a loss of trust in federal policy decisions. Buhlert added that Lower Saxony is already taking the necessary steps and is legally addressing social participation and acceptance of the energy transition. Lower Saxony is also already one of the pioneering states with a balance of 100% renewable electricity. Together, however, the path in Germany and globally must be consistently pursued. Lehnhoff emphasised the importance of energy research in the region, as Oldenburg is the cradle of energy informatics and energy research, particularly in relation to critical infrastructures and digitalisation. The region is one of the leading research centres in the world in this field. Bruder related this success to the outstanding project-orientated research, which has meant constant further development, particularly in the field of energy, since the University of Oldenburg was founded 50 years ago and has established numerous research institutes and focal points in the region.

Dr Simone Peter, President of the German Renewable Energy Federation, concluded the substantive part of the event. In her speech, she emphasised the extent of the consequences of climate change, which have already been clearly demonstrated in the north-west region in recent weeks. Urgent action is needed here to minimise climate change. "Germany has shown that renewables work and can support an industrial location. That must be the line and the path for the global future." The energy transition has a great tradition in the north-west and has characterised the region for many years; the north-west can look to the future with pride. For the future, however, further efforts must be made to realise the great potential of renewables and to be able to use them to their full extent. This also includes intensive work on implementing the heating and transport transition. "The crises in the world show us that we, as democrats, must actively fight for democracy on a broad front and not allow the rise of right-wing movements in the world to divert us from our path and actively stand up for a democratic, climate-neutral and healthy world."

After extensive networking, the participants started the Energy Year 2024 motivated and energised.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)