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One of the highlights of the trip was the rare opportunity to climb one of the windmills at the community windfarm Dirkshof near the North Sea.

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Crowded together, upwards they went!

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"You are leaving the CO2 producing sector of the world." - Participants at the energy storage company Younicos

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The discussions continued in the evening: Thomas Birringer (on the right), Head of the Team Middle East at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and Tomislav Delinic, KAS desk officer for North-East Asia (2nd from the left) with participants

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Berthold Breid, Director of RENAC - The Renewables Academy, explained how his company is exporting the know-how gained in the process of the German energy transition to countries around the world.

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During their visit at the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the energy experts had the chance to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the Energiewende with Philipp Nießen (3rd from left), Senior Manager for International Energy Policy and Research, Dr. Eberhard von Rottenburg (on the left), Senior Manager for Energy Policy with a focus on renewable energy, and Nicole Kaim-Abers (2nd from left), Head of the World Energy Council Germany.

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The programme also included a visit of the German parliament, the Bundestag, as well as consultations with several MPs.

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The discussions throughout the six days did not only revolve around aspects of energy production, but also concepts for smarter usage (here at the Berlin Agency for Electro Mobility).

It is thus not surprising that the German energy transition, or Energiewende, away from coal and nuclear power towards 80% renewable energy by 2050, has gained much attention and is seen as a possible model to bolster energy security around the world.

In light of these upheavals in the energy market, the Domestic Programmes Division of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, in cooperation with the Regional Office Gulf States, has organised an study and dialogue programme for international energy experts. During the seven-day event, which took place from 12 – 18 October 2014 in Hamburg and Berlin, participants from China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates had the opportunity to exchange their views and build an international network while at the same time learning at first-hand about the intricacies of the German Energiewende.

The programme kicked-off with a visit to the community wind park Dirkshof close to Husum, where the participants not only had the chance to inform themselves about the idea of decentralised energy production in the hand of the consumers, but also had the rare opportunity to climb one of the 60 meter high turbines.

The visit in Husum was followed by meetings and consultations with decision makers, think tanks, utility companies, businesses and environmental organisations in Berlin in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the opportunities and challenges of the Energiewende and its impact on German energy security. Among others, the participants met with representatives of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy, the Federation of German Industries, the Renewables Academy, the Berlin-based agency for electric mobility, EON and the World Energy Council.

The visitor programme aimed to bring together experts from countries that are affected by the current upheavals in the energy market in different ways and familiarise them with the global dimension of this issue as well as German and European responses in the field of energy security.