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...

The first measurement results confirm the efficient building concept for the Science College Overbach, which opened in June 2009: the data from 186 measurement points are continually captured via the building's services technology and enable continual monitoring, analysis and optimisation of the technical systems. In terms of the primary energy, the building is doing very well: it only consumed 83.4 kWh/m² p.a. in the first year. Not only do the figures add up, the students are also thrilled by their new school. Whereas 15% of the students used to opt for technology and 85% for the three foreign languages on offer, 60% of the students are now choosing a scientific subject in order to enable them to attend lessons in the attractive new building.  more...

The residents of the Olympic Park housing estate are also supplied with solar thermal heat for space and domestic water heating in winter. This is ensured by a seasonal hot water storage tank in combination with a heat pump. With a capacity of 5.7 million litres, the underground bunker is large enough to almost fill three average-sized public swimming pools. With their heating concept, the researchers at the Bavarian Centre for Applied Energy Research achieved a return temperature of just 30 °C in the local heating network.  more...

What works for thermos flasks can also be used for thermally insulating buildings: insulation by means of a vacuum. For this purpose, panels made of compressed silica powder, which is an extremely porous material, are enclosed in a largely gas- and water vapour-tight envelope made of special high-barrier films or stainless steel and evacuated. The thermal insulation provided by these vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) is five to ten times that achieved by conventional insulation systems. This means that vacuum insulation requires a correspondingly lower thickness of insulation material to achieve the same insulating effect, which is highly beneficial when there are space constraints or high thermal insulation requirements.  more...

Chemical company AlzChem has worked for around five years on a new process that enables the recycling of plastic waste for producing carbide, an important raw material used, for example, in the production of fertilizers. This means that coke and coal from coalmines can now be replaced by secondary raw materials.  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 refurbishment of complex buildings that serve various functions presents a particular challenge. This project involves a building that was built in 1968 and has been in use since then by the local authorities and public companies of the city of Remscheid. However, one consequence of a reform of the city's administration was that the existing facilities were only to be used by Remscheid's waste disposal services, including their vehicle fleet and administrative departments. This changeover presented an opportunity to refurbish the building, which had begun to show signs of its age. Alongside the rectification of structural defects, the client's wishes also included significant improvements to the functionality and appearance of the building.  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...

In recent years, the heat pump has become increasingly popular on the heating market. For new buildings and building refurbishment, users can expect lower energy costs and environmentally friendly, low-maintenance operation. There is much heated debate as to the degree of efficiency at which heat pumps work.  more...