Shaping the Green Energy Transition
The energy transition is a highly dynamic process that must combine technological innovation, societal acceptance, and economic viability. Germany’s northwest region, with its hubs in Bremen and Oldenburg, is emerging as the country’s leading energy region, offering unique conditions for research and technology transfer. The region boasts coastal and port infrastructure, vast land resources, and potential for wind energy and hydrogen.
Disciplines
Chemistry
Electrical engineering
Computer Science
Mechanical Engineering
Mathematics
Physics
Production Engineering
Law
Social Sciences
Economics
The Northwest Alliance brings together socio-technical perspectives from Bremen, Oldenburg, and the University of Groningen (RUG). Laboratories, tiny houses, digital twins, and other infrastructure support research and education. Plans are underway to establish a Collaborative Research Centre entitled “Pushing Socio-Technical Boundaries of Energy Transition,” which will further strengthen the interdisciplinary collaboration.
The partner institutions contribute expertise to complement one another: The University of Bremen covers the fields of engineering, resilience and transition studies, logistics, manufacturing, and industrial mathematics. At the University of Oldenburg, the main areas of focus include energy informatics, energy law, environmental law, the social sciences, and economics. In addition, researchers at the University of Groningen contribute expertise in social decision-making, spatial planning, psychology, and transitional justice.
Key structures such as the Lower Saxony Energy Research Center – EFZN, the Bremen Center for Energy and Environmental Research – BEST, and the Center for Wind Energy Research – ForWind as well as partners such as the OFFIS institute of computer science, the German Aerospace Center – DLR, and the Fraunhofer Institutes are advancing research, transfer, and professional development. Development and education programs for professionals, managers, and teachers support long-term awareness of sustainability and active participation in the energy transition.
Key Research Initiatives
Spokespersons of the Focal Research Area
We can only tackle challenges such as climate change, the energy transition, and social change by working together. I would be delighted if, together with Oldenburg, we succeed over the next seven years in raising the visibility of ‘pathways of change,’ which we can then jointly develop further in a major transdisciplinary project.
Prof. Dr. Johanna Myrzik, University of Bremen
We are united by a common goal: to shape the green energy transition in the locations where it must work in practice – through a massive expansion of renewable energy, smart grids, decarbonized industry, and climate-neutral neighborhoods.
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Lehnhoff, University of Oldenburg
