In the spotlight: Start-up landscape in Berlin and beyond

During an exclusive interview for Enlit on the Road Berlin, Pia Dorfinger - Director of the start-up ecosystem for the German Energy Agency (dena) - shares her take on some of the most promising technologies being developed within the start-up space in Berlin and beyond.

The energy transition’s start-up space has a lot to offer. And, according to Dorfinger, there is so much promising tech being developed that choosing one or two to highlight can be a tough ask.

“It's hard to pick just one. There are some technologies everyone's talking about, like green hydrogen and the entire infrastructure that is developing around it, or energy storage, from batteries, new solutions, new materials and battery recycling all the way to long-duration storage.

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“There’s a lot happening in the construction sector and there's one great project called Energiesprong, where they look at retrofitting entire buildings and making them more energy efficient. (...)

“[And] here at dena, our digital technologies team is working on some really cool projects around machine identity ledges that look at connecting millions of energy generators or generating units and facilities into the energy system [to visualise] CO2 emissions.”

However, although there is a lot of tech being developed, and a lot of promise being offered, it’s equally important that we focus on what is tried, tested and true. For although new technology is always exciting, doubling down on our current methods and techniques should not be sidelined.

“What’s also really important is to look at all the solutions that we already have and scale [up]. There's already so much at our fingertips, which is ready to be implemented and deployed. And we just need to accelerate the scaling.”

And what does the city of Berlin bring to the table? “Berlin is really good at attracting and setting up a start-up ecosystem," says Dorfinger.

"It is a city that pulls in innovation and talent; and does a lot to help start-ups set up and feel comfortable in the city, and then the rest just happens. The important thing is creating that ecosystem that attracts talent and people who are willing to fund start-ups and to help achieve the goals of the energy transition.”

Watch the whole interview, which took place at the SET Tech Festival in Berlin, to learn more about Germany’s innovation space and the impact of the energy crisis on innovation development.

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