Germany is financially supporting the construction of the first large-scale solar thermal power plant in Morocco. The Moroccan Solar Energy Agency and KfW Entwicklungsbank have signed a corresponding agreement. The power plant with parabolic trough collectors is planned to have an output of 160 MW. The storage capacities integrated in the design enable the operation to be continued up to three hours after sunset. Construction is earmarked to begin in 2012 and is scheduled to last around one year. The plant will be located in the town of Ouarzazate, which is situated on the northern edge of the Sahara.  more...

Rotor blades for wind turbines must be capable of withstanding extreme offshore conditions. Permanent loads, high wind and storms test rotor blades to their limits - and they have to withstand 20 years of turbulence. At the Competence Center Rotor Blades in Bremerhaven, blades up to 90 metres in length are tested mechanically. The globally unique tilt block enables the gigantic blades to be tilted while clamped in place and bent vertically by up to 30 metres. This enables blades to be statically loaded with around 180 tonnes.  more...

In the future, a large part of Germany's electricity requirement is intended to come from offshore wind farms in order to utilise the favourable wind conditions there. This represents unknown territory in both technical and ecological terms, and is taking place in sensitive biotopes. Three largely remote-controlled research platforms have therefore been constructed in the North and Baltic Seas (FINO). In particular it is being investigated into how the wind actually behaves above the sea and how much electricity can be generated. The data will be incorporated into the planning, design and certification of future farms.  more...

Even in a remote village far from the public electricity grid there is modern everyday life with radios, washing machines and electrical appliances. In energy terms this is a “standalone” system. The electricity is supplied by a hybrid system that combines various renewable energy sources and an additional diesel generator, and is buffered with a battery system. An information and control network with a new operating system keeps the stand-alone grid (mini-grid) stable.  more...

The political conditions for a change in energy policy (from fossil fuels and nuclear energy to renewable energy sources) have never been better. However, a successful change in energy supply can only take place with the support of private households who change to green electricity and homeowners who invest in renewable energy technology. How can potential users (and especially women) be persuaded to change? The interdisciplinary research project "Renewable energy sources and green electricity - communication according to specific target groups" intended to find the answer to this question.  more...

In its 2010 Annual Report, the German Federal Ministry of the Environment has presented its focal areas for funding research in the field of renewable energies. Topics include wind energy, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar thermal power plants, geothermal energy, the optimisation of energy supply systems, ocean power, interrelated issues and international collaboration.  more...

Its sounds ideal: a domestic energy plant that generates heat and electricity works almost without emissions and also exclusively utilises the sun and bioalcohol as renewable energy. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy systems ISE are working on such a plant. The heart of the system comprises a fuel cell combined with a newly developed reformer that generates the hydrogen required for the fuel cell from bioethanol.  more...

Researchers from the Technical University of Dresden have succeeded in significantly improving the efficiency of chillers that use carbon dioxide as a refrigerant. One possible application of their system is in refrigeration for supermarkets, where cooling is required for equipment ranging from refrigerated display cases right through to large cold storage rooms. The researchers expect average annual energy savings of 10% compared to conventional refrigeration systems, with savings of up to 25% on warm days. The researchers are cooperating with an industrial partner to obtain initial operating experience with these systems.  more...

On 7 December 1990, an economic and ecological success story began in Germany that is still going strong. It was the day the German Electricity Feed Act was adopted. As of 1 January 1991, the operators of the German electricity grid were obliged for the first time to include electricity from wind turbines, small-scale hydropower plants, biomass and photovoltaic plants in the grid at a fixed, long-term remuneration rate. The act itself, which consisted of no more than five short articles, had a significant effect in times to come.  more...

The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has published a strategy paper entitled "Eckpunkte und Leitlinien zur Weiterentwicklung der Energieforschungspolitik der Bundesregierung (Cornerstones and guidelines for the continued development of the German federal government's energy research policy)". The detailed analyses and suggestions were developed as a result of the cooperation between a number of institutes in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres as part of a broadly based consultation process.  more...

There are many places in Germany where deep geothermal energy is available as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels as a source of power and heat. When it comes to utilising this energy, drilling is the most expensive part. Power and heat generation is only cost-effective if sufficiently high water temperatures and flow rates are found. Via GeotIS, an online information system, planners can now gain fast access to geological and geophysical data for Germany.  more...

If industrial production requires electricity on a windless winter morning, solar energy systems and wind turbines reach their limits. Then, power plants which can convert fossil fuels into electricity no matter what the time, provide the electricity quantities required. Power plant technologies are under development for coal and gas, which can generate electricity more efficient and with lower emissions than previously. A realistic comparison of the efficiencies of modern power plant processes helps in decisions on the role of coal and gas in the future energy mix.  more...

With the aim of achieving an optimum indoor environment and lowering operating costs in the long term, the performance of a so-called "operational optimisation with weather forecast control" system has been tested in three administrative buildings in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2007. The operation of the heating systems is optimised based on a thermodynamic computer model and local weather forecast data. The result: A tangible increase in comfort with simultaneous heat energy savings.  more...

Shallow geothermal energy is being used increasingly often in new office buildings. The advantage of this renewable energy source is that the ground can be used alternately for both heating and cooling purposes, depending on the season. The use of geothermal energy has been further promoted by the German Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG), which has been in force since the start of 2009 and provides for the partial use of renewable energy sources for heating and cooling new buildings and for water heating in new buildings.  more...

There are already more than 100 regions and many rural communities that are promoting sustainable development based on renewable energies. After developing individual concepts and strategies, the lengthy and often very complex implementation begins. A research project organised by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment has been supporting these regions in conceptual and technical terms since 2007. This project is being conducted by the deENet competence network and the University of Kassel, and is being advised by the German Federal Environment Agency. In a second project phase, it is planned to create a national network by 2013.  more...

A whole array of complex demands are made of a school's architecture and building services equipment, due to the special type of usage. High occupancy densities in the classrooms, which entail high internal thermal loads and strict air hygiene requirements, must be taken into account.  more...