OLEC is well-linked nationally as well as internationally. For many years, the network has been maintaining close cooperation especially with the neighboring Netherlands. The focus is always on the indirect benefit for the activities of the network’s members and the north-western region (Region Nordwest). Diverse possibilities for developing an energy system in accordance with European standards are the result of the closeness to our Dutch partners. Moreover, the intensive knowledge and technology transfer between German and Dutch partners promotes the joint development of ground-breaking solution approaches for the future.

We maintain cooperations with the Groningen institutions Energy Valley and the research institute Energy Academy Europe.

The conference "Energy without Borders", which took place in January 2017 in Emmen (NL), took place in cooperation with the Dutch provinces Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel and Fryslan. With a Memorandum of Understanding between the state of Lower Saxony and the provinces a further cooperation to develop a future energy system was agreed upon. For the year 2020 we strive for a renewal of this memorandum, in which – in addition to the current demands of the energy sector – the subject of cross-border hydrogen economy will be a stronger focus.

The project Power to Flex, which is financed by INTERREG VA, aims to develop solutions for the energy system of the future, which will be shaped by sector coupling: Businesses, research institutions and authorities from the north of the Netherlands and north-west Germany are developing test facilities for storing renewable energies. With these innovative pilot projects, the project wants to offer solutions to reconcile the volatile production by the sun and the wind with the demand. The energy storage takes place in the shape of hydrogen gas, thermal energy, electricity and biogas on a small (individual households) as well as a medium scale (businesses, housing blocks and mobility).

The networking project H2linkRegion aims to reach a profit for the entire region of the northern Netherlands/north Germany through knowledge exchange and joint development. It deals with determining the potential for cross-border cooperation in the hydrogen industry, e.g. in the areas of storage, mobility, harbors, logistics, usage of excess power from regenerative energies. During the project duration until the summer of 2020, two expert workshops as well as a conference will take place and an accompanying proportional study will be carried out.