Delegation Tour and Bilateral Knowledge Exchange: Australian-German collaboration on wind

ABOUT

With roughly 8 GW of offshore wind capacity in operation and deployment targets of 40 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2035 and 70 GW by 2045, German policy makers and energy players have a successful history of developing, installing, operating, and maintaining offshore wind projects. Australia, on the other hand, has significant potential for offshore wind energy development, which can be tapped into to serve not only domestic demand but also foreign markets through the production and export of renewable hydrogen. Still in the early stages of creating a market for offshore wind, the country is in a favorable position to benefit from the experiences and lessons-learned from offshore wind development in Germany and Europe.

With the goal to foster the bilateral exchange on best practices and lessons learned in the field of offshore wind energy, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) invited an Australian expert delegation to a four-day visit to Germany to meet with key stakeholders from the German offshore sector.

RENAC was pleased to organize and facilitate this inspiring knowledge exchange from March 11-14, 2024, in cooperation with its partners adelphi and the Foundation Offshore Windenergy within the Australia-Germany Energy Partnership.

KEY FEATURES OF THE TOUR

Presentations on the regulatory, technical, and economic issues facing the offshore wind market in Germany.
Meetings with offshore wind energy experts and executives from Germany.
Site visits to the offshore port Cuxhaven & large-scale offshore flagship projects along Germany’s northern coast.
Peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and networking opportunities with stakeholders from policymaking and industry seeking to advance the offshore wind deployment.
Discussions aiming to turn learnings into actionable items.

CONTACT

Cecilia Strandberg
Project Director
Tel: +49 (0)30 58 70870 42
Fax: +49 (0)30 58 70870 88
Email: strandberg[at]renac.de

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Testimonials

"I would like to thank RENAC and the German Government for hosting the other Australian delegates and me on our trip to Germany in June 2022. I recommend that anyone working towards a net zero policy in buildings join an expert exchange with RENAC. There were so many benefits from this delegation. I not only learnt from German policymakers and organisations but had the time and opportunity to learn from the other Australian delegates throughout the trip. I now have the confidence to use case studies from Germany to inform my work in Australia."

Rachel Haley, Australia, Manager, Sustainable Homes, Office of Energy and Climate Change, NSW Treasury, 2022

"I participated in the delegation tour because I believe that we should learn how other countries approach the same climate problem - in my case, that was the decarbonisation of residential properties. RENAC did a lot of planning and organised all the logistics so that I could have an effortless tour. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of the program, which was designed to give me a well-rounded view of energy efficiency in residential buildings in Germany. The tour provided me with new ideas and invaluable insights into the energy transition program in Germany within the European context."

Grace Tam, Australia, Director, Investments, Debt Markets, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, 2022

"I was honoured to spend time with my Australian and German colleagues—relationships were strengthened and collaborations were formed. It was inspiring to hear honest accounts of our German colleagues' experiences and ambitious targets. RENAC enabled us to fully immerse ourselves in the learnings as well as enjoy the wonders of Berlin. I can't wait to return."

Karla Fox-Reynolds, Australia, Principal Innovation Projects, Climate-KIC Australia, 2022

"I participated in this delegation tour to learn and share in-depth knowledge and insights on energy efficiency policy in Germany. I was also keen to connect with experienced professionals in this space and fellow energy efficiency advocates, so that together we could contribute to building a stronger energy efficiency policy landscape in Australia. The trip has definitely allowed me to fulfil both goals, enabling us to gain invaluable knowledge and insights from experts on the ground - the kind of knowledge sharing that is impossible to achieve through desktop research - and to have a deep connection and strategic thinking about what we were learning and what it meant for Australia. The most insightful for me was the detailed briefings we got from public servants and KfW experts on energy efficiency policy, which have hugely informed our thinking about Australia's dynamic policy landscape in this space."

Margot Delafoulhouze, Australia, Cities System Lead, Climateworks Centre, 2022