17 February 2025

The Regenerative Energy Technology Conference RET.Con brought together companies, professional associations and research institutions to present current developments and research results in the field of renewable energies and discuss them in a scientific context. The conference took place on 13 and 14 February 2025 at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.

The RET.Con traditionally takes place once a year and is dedicated to the central challenges of the energy transition. Topics such as the expansion of wind power, energy supply for residential buildings and the further development of energy storage systems were the focus of the conference.

This year's opening session was dedicated to the topic of climate communication. Dr Mirjam Jenny from the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour (IPB) at the University of Erfurt kicked off the conference. Her presentation highlighted the importance of psychological approaches to climate protection. Under the title "Knowledge alone is not enough! The psychology of climate protection", Jenny addressed how behavioural changes can be promoted and people motivated to act sustainably. "Most people are willing to take action and want to protect the climate. In order to advance the energy transition, the key players should now communicate the necessary measures in such a way that they move people from knowledge to action," explained Jenny, emphasising the central role of targeted climate communication.

For the second keynote, in.RET was able to win over social psychologist Professor Nicole Harth from the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences in Jena. Her presentation "Climate communication between facts and emotions: What social psychological knowledge can contribute", she addressed the question of how scientific findings on the climate crisis can be communicated effectively and convincingly.

"Many perceive climate change as a problem of the distant future - something that will happen at another time in another place; but the future starts now. If we only paint dystopias, we risk paralysis instead of change. We need visions and positive incentives."

In addition to the two keynote speeches, the conference offered numerous sessions that dealt with specific renewable energy topics. Examples included

• Innovative energy systems: Franziska Koert from Münster University of Applied Sciences discussed life cycle analysis as an evaluation parameter in the energy system modelling of urban areas.
• Climate-friendly technologies: Oliver Ziegler from PtX Lab Lausitz presented approaches for optimising the supply of renewable energy when operating power-to-liquid plants.
• Sustainable energy concepts: Yonca Gül-Ayhan and Kersten Kröger from Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences spoke about the role of CHP plants in providing flexibility in cellular power supply grids.
• Energy efficiency in the construction industry: Elisabeth Budras from ISE Chemnitz presented automated technologies for energy-efficient modular lightweight buildings.

The supporting programme of the RET.Con included laboratory tours, during which participants were able to get to know technologies and research work directly on site. The conference dinner on the evening of the first day provided an opportunity for professional dialogue and networking in an informal atmosphere.

The in.RET conducts basic and application-orientated energy research in the field of renewable energy technology. In addition to the further development and optimisation of technologies for the use of renewable energies, an important focus of its work will be the system integration of these energies, i.e. the question of how renewable energies can be sensibly combined with each other and integrated into existing supply structures in the heat and electricity market.

Numerous interdisciplinary issues from the fields of energy technology, measurement and control technology and economics need to be addressed. The focus of research has developed from individual modules to entire energy systems.
https://www.hs-nordhausen.de/forschung/inret/