Thekla Heinel is Head of Department for International Projects and Project Development at B.&S.U. Beratungs- und Service Gesellschaft Umwelt in Berlin. She has more than 30 years of professional experience in the fields of energy, climate protection and sustainability. In the course of her career, she has initiated and managed a large number of projects at the European level, mainly on energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and municipal climate protection. She is a member of the board of the European Energy Award AISBL (eea) association and International Country Advisor for the eea. In this position, she accompanies the introduction of this quality management and labelling system for municipalities and regions in new countries. Thekla has been in charge of the SHAREs, an EU-funded project supporting so-called local heroes in setting up or expanding their energy community and enabling them to motivate consumers to participate, including those who do not yet have an affinity to energy or are simply unfamiliar with the concept of energy communities. She is responsible for the cooperation with the pilot municipalities and supporting them to establish energy communities.

About B.S.U. Beratungs- und Service-Gesellschaft Umwelt mbH Federal Office (B&SU)

B&SU is an independent company dedicated to promoting sustainable development and driving the energy transition. They act as a bridge between knowledge and practical application, creating tools, processes, and strategies tailored to target groups for 13 environmental protection. Their work focuses on areas like sustainable urban and regional development, municipal climate action, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate adaptation. As the program executing agency for the Berlin Senate, B&SU collaborates with national and European partners to deliver practical outcomes, evaluate programs, and support sustainable development initiatives. They manage the European Energy Award, involving 288 cities and municipalities and 60 districts or counties. B&SU is also a partner in the ShaRES project, where they collaborate with pilot municipalities to establish energy communities and leverage their municipal network for outreach in Germany.