direct view

Investment in renewables up nationwide in 2017

Almost €16 billion was invested in new renewables installations in Germany last year. This means Germany continues to invest more in renewables, defying the international trend.

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direct account

Reactive power. How to keep up the voltage in the electricity grid?

It is crucial for the voltage in the electricity grid to be kept extremely stable to prevent damage to electrical appliances. This stability is created by feeding reactive power into the grid. Want to learn more? Here is how it works.

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Peter Altmaier

Quote of the week

“The key to a successful energy transition is digitisation and sector coupling. New innovations will allow us to make progress not only in the power sector, but also in the crucial heat sector. This will help the climate. Climate-friendly energy technology ‘Made in Germany’ is in demand across the world – and we want to keep it that way.”

Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, speaking about the 7th Energy Research Programme launched by the Federal Government

direct reports

  • Renewables’ use expands across the globe

    The use of renewables is being expanded not only in Germany, but on a global scale. Last year, a total capacity of 178 GW of renewables was built across the globe, accounting for 70% of all new power capacity. These are the findings of the Renewables 2018 Global Status Report (GSR). According to the report, global investment in renewables installations was twice the amount of investments in power plants powered by fossil fuels or nuclear. The lion’s share (75%) of the investment was made in China, the U.S. and Europe. Whilst the energy transition is making good headway in the power sector, a lot remains to be done in the heating/cooling and transport sectors. Other challenges that remain are the growing demand for energy and carbon emissions from the energy sector, which both saw the first marked increase in four years.

  • Call for abstracts for the ‘International Conference on Monitoring & Process Control of Anaerobic Digestion Plants’ open until 31 October

    The fourth ‘International Conference on Monitoring & Process Control of Anaerobic Digestion Plants’ will be held in Leipzig on 26 and 27 March 2019. The focus of this conference will be on the latest developments and best practices in the field of biomass installations, and on networking. There will also be an exhibition. The deadline for abstracts is 31 October 2018. The conference is taking place of the ‘energetic uses of biomass’ programme funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, a programme designed to promote the cost-effective and energy-efficient use of biomass in the electricity and heating markets.

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