The Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) was launched in the year 2015 and since then it has become one of the world’s most vital forums on the global energy transition. This year the conference programme was held on March 28–29 at the Federal Foreign Office, Berlin under the motto “Energiewende – Securing a Green Future”. The BETD facilitates personal exchange between high-ranking government representatives, global business leaders, scientists, leaders of international organizations, and NGOs. The forum was attended by a large number of foreign ministers, energy ministers, international energy organizations, and experts in the field of clean energy. The two-day conference discussed the challenges in the field of clean energy and how to switch to renewable, more sustainable energy sources, reflecting the international trend towards a green future.

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock opened the 9th Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) on March 28, 2023. She emphasized that “The development of solar and wind capacities in regions where electricity has so far been in short supply offers millions of people around the world the chance to escape the trap of poverty. The BETD conference is the global meeting place for those who want to utilize this opportunity or who are already taking the lead.”  Dr Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, who opened the second day of the conference, felt that the climate crisis requires more, not less cooperation: towards the climate-neutral transformation of the energy systems and the decarbonization of industry, which is now the next challenge we need to tackle. 

BETD 2023 also had the august presence of Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke; Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze; and the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Francesco La Camera besides many other high-profile speakers that included Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary & Special Envoy for International Climate Action, Federal Foreign Office, Germany and Dr Simone Peter, President, German Renewable Energy Federation. IRENA’s DG Francesco La Camera said, “We must rewrite the way international cooperation works. Achieving the energy transition requires stronger international collaboration, including collective efforts to channel more funds to developing countries. A fundamental shift in the support to developing nations must put more focus on energy access and climate adaptation.”  La Camera also introduced World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023 Preview on Day 1 of BETD 2023 that warns of dramatic lack of progress, calls for strategic shift in the energy transition to sustain 1.5°C climate target.

 Kenyan President William Ruto, the first head of state to attend the BETD, delivered the keynote speech on the first day of the conference while the keynote speech on the second day was held by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, United Arab Emirates, President of the United Nations COP28 climate conference this year.

The BETD 2023 also provided young climate activists such as Licypriya Kangujam from Manipur, India, to raise their concern for the planet while delivering their young keynote addresses. Licypriya exuded with confidence when she said that she has a dream that all children living in the world have the access to clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a clean planet to live. BETD is a great platform for such young voices from around the world.

International Solar Alliance at BETD 2023

The International Solar Alliance (ISA) with its headquarters in Gurugram, India, is an international organization with 114 Member and Signatory countries. It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide and promote solar power as a sustainable transition to a carbon-neutral future. ISA’s mission is to unlock USD 1 trillion of investments in solar by 2030 while reducing the cost of the technology and its financing. It promotes the use of solar energy in the agriculture, health, transport and power generation sectors.

The ISA also participated in the 9th BETD. Speaking at the panel ‘Innovation and Integration as Levers for financing the off-grid sector’, Director General of the ISA, Dr Ajay Mathur said, “We’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of people who are connected through off-grid systems. Today, the off-grid sector is incredibly diverse, however, at the institutional level, the opportunities of off-grid solutions for rural electrification are often rather underestimated, while financial risks tend to be overvalued.” Dr Ajay Mathur also highlighted the key opportunities in the off-grid sector saying, “The key problem that occurs is that the regulatory framework of countries often forms a barrier against private sector investment coming in. To advance the off-grid sector, we need an agreement on: regulations, rules and policies that can help scale up the off-grid sector in countries. The second is in order to bring that money in, we need guarantees that pull in private sector investments. I believe that solar and particularly solar mini-grid is the way to provide rural energy access for all today.”

Dr Mathur also highlighted the need to substantially ramp up investments up to four times from the current levels to achieve the global clean energy targets. He further highlighted that “The technology solutions to take us to 2030 already exist and continues to improve. The immediate next steps need a holistic policy framework and finance at scale to ensure these technologies are deployed strategically and worldwide. The presence of appropriate governance and regulatory framework provides the basis for realignment of the broader actions under the investment strategy. The existence of supportive regulatory framework also provides private players the confidence to engage and invest.”

 On the sidelines of the BETD, Dr Ajay Mathur met the President of Germany, Hon’ble Frank-Walter Steinmeier and discussed prioritizing solar towards climate action. The Director General also met H.E. Parvathaneni Harish, Ambassador of India to Germany and discussed areas of cooperation in scaling solar deployment and addressing climate change.

Business-to-Government Dialogue: India

India is the fastest growing economy in the world and has a high demand for increasing energy supply, making it even more important to adapt energy systems to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The business-to-government dialogue offered a forum for exchange between the German energy industry and high-ranking government officials from India. During the two-hour event on March 27, 2023, representatives from India and German business representatives had the opportunity to share and exchange information on the applicable legal and economic conditions in areas of renewable energy and international partnerships. H. E. Parvathaneni Harish, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of India, Berlin, talked about Energy Transition Strategy for India. The dialogue was an official part of the supporting programme of the BETD 2023 and the Berlin Energy Week.#

Abhas Mukherjee, Editor, TERI Publications Division, TERI, participated as a Media Fellow at the recently concluded Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) 2023 from March 28–29, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.