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...

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...

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...

Buildings of the future are secret power plants: they will generate more energy than they require. The surplus can be used for the residents? electromobility or is fed into the grid. This idea is now to be implemented as an energy-plus building with electromobility. The fully recyclable house designed by scientists from Dresden, Germany offers 142 m² of floor space and produces more energy than is required for a 4-person household and to run two electric cars and an electric scooter (with an annual mileage of 29,000 km). The team of researchers from Dresden University of Technology won second prize at the planning competition of the Zukunft Bau (Future of Construction) research initiative with this pilot project in February 2011.  more...

The eagerly anticipated draft version of the "Lead Study 2010" can now be downloaded. The study, entitled "Long-term scenarios and strategies for developing renewable energies in Germany taking into account developments in Europe and worldwide", is available on the website of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. For the first time the study carries out a complete dynamic simulation of the electricity supply and describes the technical and economic impacts of developing renewable energies.  more...

In 2009, renewable energies met 11.6% of the gross final energy consumption of the European Union, whereby they generated 18.2% of the electrical energy supplies. Their economic importance is also growing: more than 900,000 workers in the various sectors generate a turnover of 120 billion euros. These are the results of the tenth report published by the EurObserv'ER consortium on "The State of Renewable Energies in Europe". The annually published report describes not just the development of the various technologies, broken down according to the respective EU countries, but also explains their socio-economic importance. The documentation, which is published in English and French, can now be downloaded free of charge.  more...

Contrary to industry expectations, the German market for wind turbines did not grow in 2010 but shrunk by a fifth. According to surveys conducted by the German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI), 1,551 MW of wind capacity were newly installed last year. These figures were announced by the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) and the Association of German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers (VDMA) on Wednesday in Berlin. This represents a 19% decline compared with the previous year. At the end of 2010, a total of 21,607 wind turbines were rotating in Germany, with a total capacity of 27,214 MW.  more...

Last Saturday, the BAU 2011 trade fair came to a close in Munich. A clear focus this year was on concepts and solutions for sustainable and climate-neutral buildings. This applied both for the actual trade fair itself and the extensive support programme. For example, the EnOB research initiative presented new concepts, methods and model projects in a research symposium that was held on 18 and 19 January 2011.  more...

The Internet offers rapid and convenient access to information ? including for energy research. However, when it comes to obtaining reliable, complete and quotable information for research purposes, there is no real alternative to using specialist databases. This is the conclusion of scientists from the ETDE (Energy Technology Data Exchange). In a study they compared the search results provided by their ETDEWEB database with those from Google and Google Scholar, whereby they used search terms from different areas concerned with energy transformation and utilisation. The main thematic focus was on renewable energies, but energy efficient technologies such as recycling waste heat or utilising daylight in office buildings were also looked at.  more...