Local authorities face the challenge of aligning energy transition projects with urban development objectives and the further development of their infrastructure. In practice, measures in these areas are often planned separately.

As part of the dena project ‘Integrated Planning Platform’, we are examining the legal and planning frameworks governing local authority infrastructure projects in order to identify approaches to integrated infrastructure planning.

Electric road systems (ERS) are infrastructure systems that can supply electric vehicles with energy whilst they are in motion. The ERS Switzerland project is investigating the conditions required for the deployment of these technologies in Switzerland.

Within the project, IKEM is responsible for conducting a review and evaluation of ERS technologies, examining the relevant regulatory framework and supporting the design of a pilot project.

How does one regulate a market that is still in its infancy? In Tagesspiegel Background, Dr Michael Kalis argues that regulation of the hydrogen market should evolve in step with the market itself. Rather than stipulating every development in advance, the regulatory framework must remain adaptable. Regional test beds such as the Hydrogen Valleys could provide a starting point for the further development of the regulatory framework.

In June 2026, the UN Economic Commission adopted the first globally applicable legal framework for automated driving systems. In a brief legal study, Timon Plass and Sarah Marenbach analysed the content of the new guidelines and their implications for European and German law.

As part of the ABSOLUT II project, Timon Plass, Emily Hartmann, and Sarah Marenbach examined the legal framework for autonomous driving in public transport and, in three sub-studies, identified current challenges and opportunities for further development in the areas of licensing, technical supervision, and liability.

When are biogenic residues classified as waste, and under what conditions can they be used for the production of renewable fuels and raw materials? In a new study, Josefine Lyda and Friederike Allolio examine the criteria for classifying biogenic residues under waste legislation and highlight where legal clarification is required.

Zeno Pfeiffer’s article examines the extent to which the business-to-business sharing platform FAMOUS can serve as a starting point for further development towards a business model for bidirectional charging.

In his article, Nils Baumann examines the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation in the context of the energy transition, focusing in particular on the scope of application of the individual legal instruments. He also outlines selected opportunities, risks and unresolved legal issues, and highlights the need to further develop the legal framework.

Under the theme “Climate Spark – Igniting Multi-Level Action to Achieve the Global Energy Transition”, this year’s IKEM Academy will explore how the momentum for climate action can be maintained even in difficult times.

From 31 August to 3 September, the Academy will offer a comprehensive programme of lectures, creative workshops and site visits.

On 17 and 18 September 2026, the second conference of the European Association of Climate Law (EACL) will take place in Helsinki, Finland. The theme is the state of climate law ten years on from the Paris Agreement.

On 21 September, IKEM is hosting the next edition of the Heat Transition Forum. The focus will be on the new Building Modernisation Act and the question of how the new legal framework will affect the heat transition.

At the next Berlin Energy Roundtable on 30 September 2026, we will be joining forces with Berliner Stadtwerke to examine the role of urban neighbourhoods in the energy transition.

As part of our CommunitE/BiNe project, we are offering three training courses on community energy this autumn 2026 in collaboration with the Bürgerenergie Alliance and the Energiewende Jetzt network: alongside a seminar for beginners, there will also be advanced courses on business and organisational models. Registrations are now open.

Over the past three years, E-CORE has been investigating solutions for a sustainable and electrified freight transport corridor between Rotterdam and Budapest. The findings will be presented at the E-CORE Innovation Lab in Berlin on 24 November. The event will also feature a discussion of the implications for transport policy and for a decarbonised transport infrastructure in Europe.

The Women’s Mobility Network met at IKEM on 25 August. The evening event marked the start of a series of meetings at which various institutes and companies will present thematic presentations. Further information on upcoming events is available via the network’s mailing list.

The Berlin Energy Roundtable on 26 August focused on regulatory and practical issues relating to the controllability of consumers in the low-voltage grid. Jendrik Ulfig, Frank Hirschi and Roland Olbrich from the HORIZONTE Group provided insights into ongoing implementation projects and the associated challenges.

On 26 August, the kick-off meeting for the project took place in Visby (Sweden). The five partner organisations from Germany, Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Denmark met there to discuss the design of pilot projects and preparations for the practical phase.

In his presentation at the 13th EELF Conference in Copenhagen on 27 August, Dr Michael Kalis examined the role of forward-looking approaches in European climate governance and their significance for the further development of the law.

The closing event for the ABSOLUT II project took place in Leipzig on 27 August. Matthias Hartwig presented IKEM’s research on the legal framework for autonomous driving at the event.

The latest issue of the journal Klima und Recht is now available.

Contributions include:

• Sabrina Schulz: The Industrial Accelerator Act: Europe’s opportunity for technological sovereignty
• Alina Wolski: Narrating the Future: How climate fiction shapes legal conceptions of intergenerational justice
• Nils Baumann: Strategic autonomy in the context of the energy transition: A challenge for the Foreign Subsidies Regulation
• Zeno Pfeiffer: Potential synergies between sharing corporate charging infrastructure and bidirectional charging: A Business Model Canvas analysis of the FAMOUS platform
• UN brief report places Earth system tipping points at the centre of climate policy
• Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage faces its first real test
• New Climate Indicators Report forecasts anthropogenic warming of 1.37 °C by 2025
• Case law: Federal Constitutional Court 9 July 2026 – 2 BvE 3/26: Constitutional complaint against the GModG legislative procedure dismissed
• Case law: ECJ 9 July 2026 – C-242/24 P: Support measures granted under the 2020 KWKG for combined heat and power plants do not constitute state aid within the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU

Are you researching legal aspects of climate change and interested in publishing your work? Contact the editorial team: klimr@ikem.de.

Join the IKEM team! We are currently recruiting:

• Doctoral candidates (m/f/d)
• Legal trainees
• Interns

We also offer positions for doctoral researchers.

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