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...

An EnOB status seminar with the title "Research for energy-optimised construction" took place last week in Würzburg. Research teams from various fields in energy-optimised construction provided insight into current projects and offered their perspective on future topics within the Federal Ministry of Economics' focus of research. The event covered a wide range of subjects, from innovative facade systems, HVAC concepts/applications and thermal storage systems right through to modelling and the optimisation of operations. The objective was not only to present the state of research, but also to discuss its perspectives..  more...

Photovoltaic systems in schools help save energy and enhance classroom teaching. They shape a school's image and indicate that energy supply is a future-focused subject. Grants are available to schools wanting to install photovoltaic panels.  more...

At many schools they already exist: schoolchildren as energy detectives, energy managers or energy teams. They track down energy leaks, take the initiative, assume responsibility and ultimately know a great deal about saving energy. Their commitment is often also financially rewarding for their school.  more...