A mere 150 days now remain until the grand final in Madrid of the Solar Decathlon Europe, which will take place this year for the second time. The competition will see universities from around the world competing for the most energy-efficient house, with 20 teams from 15 countries exhibiting their innovative concepts in the "Villa Solar" from 14 to 30 September. This year, two teams from Germany (Aachen and Constance) will take part in the competition and are now busy preparing for the final in Madrid.  more...

The region between the Swabian and Franconian mountains and the Northern Alps has large thermal resources underground (geothermal energy). The availability of this hot water at depths of between 1,500 and 5,000 m has led increasingly more local communities in the region to rely on geothermal energy as a mainstay for their local energy supply. The extent to which these geothermal plants can be operated stably in the long term has been investigated by the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) in Hanover, which has now published its findings. These results suggest that long-term use is viable.  more...

The German government selected four regions to receive funding as part of the "Schaufenster Elektromobilität" (electromobility showcase) programme. The plan is for one million electric vehicles to be on the roads in Germany by 2020. Over the coming three years, the showcase and pilot projects will benefit from funding to the tune of 160 million euros from the economics, environment, research and transport ministries.  more...

In November 2011, the "Bambados" Swimming Pool - a leisure pool built to the passive house standard - opened in Bamberg, Upper Franconia. The monitoring is starting at the beginning of April. The measurements will show whether the concept proves itself in practice and whether the planned energy savings can also be achieved in reality. In the BINE interview, Esther Gollwitzer from the Passive House Institute (PHI) discusses the concept behind the new leisure pool and draws an initial balance.  more...

Following personnel changes in PV CYCLE, the industry association for recycling photovoltaic modules (BINE reported), Wilfried Taetow took over its leadership in September 2011. In the BINE interview, the new president explains how the recycling of PV modules can be realised at a time when the industry is under economic pressure and the EU is planning to include discarded PV modules within the scope of its EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.  more...

On 19 March, around 120 delegates attended the international conference on "Energy Research in Europe: Germany´s Contribution to the SET-Plan", which was concerned with improving cooperation in the research, development and demonstration fields within the energy sector. The need for research and action was discussed in the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) using the example of smart grids and the hydrogen industry.  more...

What contribution can be made by geothermal energy to future electricity and heating supplies in Germany and which steps are necessary in order to utilise its potential? On 14 and 15 March, around 80 scientist discussed strategies, technologies and practical experience in the Brandenburg town of Joachimsthal, which is close to the geothermal research borehole at Gross Schönebeck.  more...

Technologies for storing energy will play a decisive role in future. They are essential not just for balancing out the supply of fluctuating renewable resources such as solar power and wind energy but also for continuing to ensure a reliable energy provision. At the same time, storage systems in electric and hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are paving the way for a mobile future beyond the fossil fuel era. Future storage systems formed the focus of attention at the first "Energy Storage Symposium", which was held by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) at the beginning of March.  more...

A special purpose project company founded by Fels-Werke GmbH from Goslar in Germany has won the Innovation Award for Climate and Environment for a process that uses lime to produce pure synthesis gas from pollutant-rich waste and biomass. The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology provided 4.5 million euros of support for this project. Since 2009, this award has been honouring concepts from Germany that contribute to climate and environmental protection and, at the same time, strengthen the country as a business location.  more...

Representatives from science, research and industry converged on the town of Münster to attend the 2012 Battery Day and the subsequent Advanced Battery Power symposium. This year, the conference focused on the potential offered by electrochemical energy storage. The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) confirmed at the conference that energy storage played a crucial role in grid stability.  more...

Ten thousand hours of operation: This record was set by the Institute for Energy and Climate Research at the Research Centre Jülich using a hybrid system based on direct methanol fuel cells. In the project, which has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, a fuel cell stack has been designed for use in electric forklift trucks.  more...

In Germany, technologies for capturing and storing carbon dioxide have so far failed to gain acceptance. This sixty social scientists and technicians attending the "Acceptance Research on CCS" workshop held at the Wuppertal Institute were in agreement in this respect. One aspect that has not failed, however, is the research on how acceptance develops among the population. Many large-scale technologies ranging from wind farms to high-voltage grids are faced with the need to find acceptance - not least through participation.  more...

A superconducting fault current limiter is protecting the auxiliary power supply in the Boxberg lignite-fired power plant in the German state of Saxony against damage caused by short circuits and voltage peaks. The developers have now replaced the first-generation system with a fault current limiter based on YBCO superconducting tapes - which represents a world first. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Nexans SuperConductors have thus improved the intrinsic safety of the grid and also helped to reduce equipment investment costs.  more...

Following personnel changes in PV CYCLE, the industry association for recycling photovoltaic modules (BINE reported), Wilfried Taetow took over its leadership in September 2011. In the BINE interview, the new president explains how the recycling of PV modules can be realised at a time when the industry is under economic pressure and the EU is planning to include discarded PV modules within the scope of its EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.  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...