A key theme of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue conference last week was how Germany’s Energiewende (‘energy transition’) has not only proven how to foster an explosion of renewable generation capacity through support schemes, but also how to integrate those renewables. Grid operators from Germany and Denmark discussed questions of feasibility, past, present and future.
The fight is still on to prove the transition to cleaner energy in Germany is proving to be a success, Amory Lovins, chief scientist and head of the Rocky Mountain Institute said yesterday.
Lichtblick, a retailer of ‘green electricity and green gas’ headquartered in Germany, is looking to take its concept for integrating multiple distributed generation sources into a single network into international markets.
The “extraordinary amount” of money Germany has spent transitioning away from fossil fuels and nuclear is looking increasingly like an investment in the country’s future competitiveness, according to the chief economist of the US Underwriters’ Laboratory.
Indian state-owned utility NTPC is collaborating with two German institutions, DLR Cologne and the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy (ISE), on a number of solar research programmes.
A trade association representing some of Germany’s energy storage industry has welcomed the renewal of a support scheme for batteries, but says that establishing “fair market conditions” for storage would be more important.
Germany is “on track” to meet its 2030 renewables targets – but more could and should be done to increase the use of clean energy in the transport and heating sectors, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has said.
