Conventional combustion engines will soon be obsolete because car traffic needs to become more climate-friendly. But what comes next?… more
In 2011, Germany decided to phase out nuclear power. By 2025, 40 to 45 percent of energy should come from wind, water or solar power, and then 55 to 60 percent by 2035. In order for the energy transition to be successful, not only must more and more sustainable forms of energy production be introduced, but excess electricity must… more
They could help to store the fluctuating wind power: hollow concrete balls sunk in the water serve as an energy reservoir. The first test of the new pumped storage system has been running in Lake Constance since yesterday…. more
Old coal mines as storage for green electricity? This idea can be implemented, as a feasibility study at the Prosper-Haniel mine in Bottrop has shown. After 2018, when mining stops there, the mine could be converted into an underground pumped storage power plant… more
Since Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks signed the climate agreement in Paris in November 2015, little has happened in energy policy. In order to achieve the agreed 1.5 degree target, the government must push forward the energy transition. A first step: funding for private households through the… more
Lithium-ion batteries are the common power storage devices in countless everyday devices. Now US researchers have developed a new method to protect these batteries against overheating and exploding: a composite layer of nanoparticles and polymer ensures that the battery switches itself off as soon as it becomes dangerously hot. The… more
In order for the energy transition to go into the next round, more homes need electricity storage. But “the government is throwing stones in our way,” says Volker Quaschning, professor of renewable energy systems at the University of Technology and Economics in Berlin. Why she is canceling necessary funding and thus… more
Hydrogen will play a crucial role in storing excess wind and solar power in the future. Material converters, so-called electrolyzers, with proton exchange membranes are particularly suitable for producing hydrogen from wind power. The first large systems with the new… more
Germany is heading towards an energy supply that is determined by the high-quality form of electricity, thanks to wind and solar power. But the production of heat, which accounts for around 40 percent of energy consumption in this country, is still characterized by oil, gas and inefficient electric heating systems. How much more
Do you know those fitness swing bars that you rotate with your hand and which supposedly help your body burn tons of calories? If so, imagine such a wobble stick several meters high, which is not powered by muscle power but by wind power and in this way generates energy… more