26Jun 2017 
Europe is among the global pioneers in building wind farms at sea. Most European offshore wind turbines are located in the North Sea, where around 72 per cent of installed wind-power capacity can be found.
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Blockchain has become widely known as the technology underlying the virtual currency Bitcoin. Now it is also being put to use in the energy sector. But what exactly is blockchain? And how can blockchain technology help us transition to a sustainable supply of energy? The answers can be found below.
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“The costs for renewable energies have already fallen dramatically. There will be further advances and technical innovations in the field of energy generation and storage, and the price of low-emission technologies will become more and more competitive. Governments should promote this process in the form of research funding that is in line with market requirements, and by establishing efficient framework conditions.”
Dr Joachim Wenning, Chairman of the Board, Münchener Rück AG, in Wirtschaftswoche of 9 June 2017, © Handelsblatt GmbH. All rights reserved.
The 2017 Global Status Report shows that the installed capacity of renewables across the globe has risen over the past year by around 9 per cent, rising to 2,017 gigawatts (GW). This means that in 2016, more electricity generation capacity was installed in the form of renewables installations than in conventional power stations – right around the world, and at very low prices.
On 7 June 2017, the Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) held the second round of auctions for onshore wind installations. The auction volume in this second round is 1,000 megawatts – 200 megawatts higher than in the previous round. Bids can be submitted up until 1 August 2017.
At the beginning of June, State Secretary Rainer Baake met with Mr Hu Zucai, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in Berlin. Both countries have been working together since 2007 as part of a Sino-German energy partnership. China is currently undertaking a comprehensive reform of its electricity market and is therefore interested in learning about the reform adopted by Germany last year.
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