“Energy Coast” – New location brand for the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein

Energy Coast is the common umbrella brand that four Schleswig-Holstein districts in the Regional Cooperation West Coast have adopted to market their unique potential in the area of renewable energies. Under the motto of “Our future is renewable”, stakeholders in administration, science and the business community have bundled their forces for strong and uniform branding. The goal is to strengthen the existing economy by getting new companies to locate in the region, attracting skilled labour and creating a succinct image for the economic location. Germany’s pioneering region for renewable energy had Germany’s first wind farm, and here – in the area of the four west coast districts – 2,500 wind turbines with a capacity of 6,263 MW have been installed since then. 16,315 GWh of electricity was produced in 2018 from renewable energies such as wind energy, photovoltaics and biogas. That is more electricity than Schleswig-Holstein consumes. In the North Sea, 21 offshore wind farms currently generate up to 1,780 MW per year to supply the economic region with green electricity. Renewable energy, especially wind energy, and the growing hydrogen economy provide added value and high-quality jobs in future areas of the energy transition such as sustainable urban development, mobility, innovation research and transformative industries. That is why a cross-industry consortium of businesses, research facilities, industries and municipalities initiated a federal government-funded future project called “Real Laboratory – West Coast 100” so that a regional hydrogen economy can be established on an industrial scale. The eFarm in North Frisia, Germany’s largest green H2 mobility project, is ground-breaking and shows how a completely sustainable infrastructure – from production to fleet usage – can be created with hydrogen from wind energy. Dynamic research and development locations are also emerging for other future areas such as the ones in Itzehoe for batteries and microelectronics or on Helgoland for maritime robotics. The heating transition is also making advances with innovative concepts in the region – harnessing renewable energy, as in the Real Laboratory QUARREE 100, which focuses on district development with 100 percent regenerative energy, or industrial waste heat, e.g. for the establishment of aquaculture farms.

Marketing of the region

To market the Energy Coast, the Hamburg agencies RAIKESCHWERTNER and olli design helped to develop the branding, the website www.energiekueste.de and the marketing instruments. Ambassadors from the energy sector, research community and industries are promoting the diverse competence landscape of the “Energy Coast”. The “Energy Coast” is supported by the Regional Cooperation West Coast (www.rk-westküste.de), which consists of the districts of North Frisia, Dithmarschen, Steinburg and Pinneberg, the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Flensburg and Kiel, Entwicklungsgesellschaft Brunsbüttel mbH, WEP Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft des Kreises Pinneberg mbH and Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Nordfriesland mbH. The main coordination office has its headquarters at the Norderelbe project company in Itzehoe (Steinburg district).

www.energiekueste.de