germany Archives – The Green Optimistic

More EV Charging Points Installed In Germany, Still No Profit

Arsenij Percov — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 05:13:11 +0000

During the past year, Germany has increased the number of public charging points for electric vehicles by approximately 25%. This was said by the utility lobby BDEW on Wednesday. However, they mentioned that it is still an unprofitable business. 2,800 new public charging points have been added since the end of June 2017. Now, there […]

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Wind Turbine Components Not Recyclable, Says Expert

Arsenij Percov — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 06:34:01 +0000

Currently, Europe’s second-largest power source is wind turbines. Germany alone has spent $200 billion on an initiative to transition itself away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. What will be done to wind turbines when they reach the end of their life cycle? At the moment, there are over 28,000 onshore wind turbines in […]

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Superconductors May be Used for Germany’s Energy Transition

Arsenij Percov — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 04:27:45 +0000

Germany is bidding farewell to nuclear energy, expanding renewable energy resources and working to make its economy virtually climate-neutral by the mid-century. The plan is known as the Energy Transition. The project will rely on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy demand management. By 2022, nuclear reactors and coal-fired generators will need to be retired. […]

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Germany’s GHG Emissions from Vehicles Still Increasing

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 07:10:39 +0000

Energiewende, Germany’s program in energy supply transition from coal-fired power plants to renewable sources, has enabled the country to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions within a decade and lead other EU countries in energy transition movement. Emissions in Germany has dropped significantly since 1990, about 27 percent, mostly because of the energy transition, shutting […]

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Germany: Saint Lambertus Cathedral Gets Demolished for Coal Mining

Jose Aguilar — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 19:40:00 +0000

Saint Lambertus Cathedral, located in Immerath, a small village northwest of Cologne, was torn last week to the ground as plans of the German energy supply company RWE for lignite mining ramble on. The cathedral, a gothic, double-spired structure built in the 1880´s, has a rich and long history. With its beginnings dating back to […]

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Germany: Wind Power Just Overtook All Other Forms of Electrical Generation

Nicholas Say — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 20:40:42 +0000

This morning in Germany, wind power created the need to pay consumers to use electricity. This is probably some sort of historic event, but if you take a step back, it isn’t hard to see how wind and solar power could shatter the world as we know it. According to estimates, sometime on Sunday morning, […]

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First Quick-Charge Stations Built from Second-Life EV Batteries

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 19:15:57 +0000

To support the efforts of Group Renault’s extension of EV batteries’ life cycle, the two first-in-the-world quick-charge stations were built in Belgium and Germany, envisioned to increase charging options for electronic vehicles in locations where installation of high power connection to grids is highly expensive. The technology is part of the E-STOR energy storage program […]

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German Coal Mine Converted into Renewable Energy Storage

Nicholas Say — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 06:42:50 +0000

The Prosper-Haniel hard coal mine in North-Rhine Westaphalia is a show piece of the right way forward. It is a hard coal mine that dates back to 1863, and thankfully in 2018 it will never produce coal again. Instead of just being shuttered, it is being converted into a 200 megawatt pumped-storage hydroelectric reservoir. This […]

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Wendelstein 7-X Nuclear Fusion Machine Is On

Mila Luleva — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 16:25:02 +0000

The biggest, most sophisticated, nuclear fusion machine, Wendelstein 7-X, or W7-X, went online yesterday in Germany. Nuclear fusion has been circulating the news for years, promising the most advanced and most efficient way to generate unlimited amounts of clean energy. And although, the big dream to have that fusion reactor that can solve all energy troubles […]

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Renewable Energy Works in Germany, and Elsewhere?

Benji Jerew — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 21:35:13 +0000

We’ve done a lot of coverage on renewable energy adoption in various places, but it seems that there is a lot of counter-coverage, to which Energiewende says “enough is enough.” Energiewende, German for “energy transition,” isn’t anything new, but actually got its start back in the 1970s. The oil crisis got people thinking about where […]

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Renewable Energy Overpowers German State by 20%

Benji Jerew — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 15:28:26 +0000

Perhaps to be a little clearer, the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern produces some 120% of its energy needs from renewable energy sources, exporting the rest to other states in the country. Germany is already known for its outstanding efforts in the expansion of renewable energy. Just do a quick search of our site, and you’ll […]

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Audi A3 E-Tron 100% Green Electric Vehicle Charging with LichtBlick Energy

Benji Jerew — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:10:31 +0000

Opponents to electrified vehicles, such as the Audi A3 E-Tron plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, may object to their supposed environmental benefits, citing that they simply push emissions up the line to the power supplier. For the most part, however, it all depends on where you charge. If the majority of power on your part of […]

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Did Lackluster European Sales Leads to Tesla Model S Price Drop?

Benji Jerew — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 15:25:15 +0000

The Tesla Model S is a beautiful (and expensive!) electric vehicle, which makes it hard for many people to get into an electric vehicle that’s so capable. That being said, the Tesla Model S has been at the top of some sales charts, such as in Norway, where it was the best-selling vehicle, of any […]

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Hamburg Green Network Will Ban Cars from City Center

Benji Jerew — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:21:45 +0000

Hamburg, in a move to green up the city, is taking a multi-faceted approach, one part of which includes removing all cars from the city by 2034. It might seem odd, in a couple decades, to visit Hamburg, the second-biggest city in Germany, and not find the streets filled with cars that the country is […]

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Tesla Motors Partnering with Sixt Leasing and Stadtwerke Utilities in Germany

Benji Jerew — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:58:46 +0000

Tesla Motors is one of the companies that, I would say, has done the most to promote the adoption of electric vehicles, mostly by making them easier to own. The awareness and adoption of electric vehicles has a lot to do with how they are marketed, and how easy they are to own. For some […]

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Germany Penalizes Clean Energy Producers for Using Their Own Energy

Mila Luleva — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:59:57 +0000

In their attempt to reduce the increasing electricity bills, German government is taking drastic and slightly controversial measures. Merkel and team plan to introduce a new charge, which will be introduced to penalize clean energy producers for consuming their self-generated energy instead of selling it to the grid for the price set by the government. […]

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Tesla Supercharger Network Expanding Across Europe

Benji Jerew — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:49:17 +0000

Which came first, Tesla Model S or the Tesla Supercharger? Well, obviously the Tesla Model S came first, and most popularly so! In Norway, for example, the Tesla Model S is actually the country’s best-selling vehicle, not green vehicle or electric vehicle, but any vehicle. Given that the Tesla Model S has such great range, […]

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Tesla Model S Safety, “No Further Measures Deemed Necessary,” German KBA Says

Benji Jerew — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:42:18 +0000

After three Tesla Model S fires swept the internet and bashed TSLA Stock prices, it only seems natural that the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) ordered an investigation. According to some, the Tesla Model S‘ low-slung lithium-ion battery pack, even with its armor plating, is insufficiently protected. At high speed, road debris could possibly […]

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Poland Puts Up Electric Barriers to Keep Renewable Energy Out

Danny Harper — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:35:10 +0000

For the host country of international climate talks, it’s surprising to see Poland going to such great lengths to protect its coal industry, while putting renewable energy on the backburner. Bad COP 19 host issues aside, a major point of contention amongst many in the international community right now are the changes Poland is making […]

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Will EU Emissions Regulations Buckle Under Pressure from German Automakers?

Benji Jerew — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:40:02 +0000

Much like the United States CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] regulations seek to gradually reduce vehicle emissions, the European Union’s Euro-6 standards limit emissions in new vehicles produced and sold in the EU. The current Euro-6 regulations don’t take effect until 2015, and stronger Euro-7 regulations don’t take effect until 2020, but automakers are already […]

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Upcoming Elections In Germany Depend on Merkel’s Green Energy Strategies

Mila Luleva — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:21:52 +0000

With elections in Germany approaching at the end of this month, current chancellor Angela Merkel is facing a challenge to continue with her renewable energy strategy while keeping the industry and consumers satisfied. Analysts argue that maintaining energy prices and a balanced budget, while meeting the set green targets will be the biggest political dilemma that the […]

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Germany Sets Record 5.1TWh of Solar Power Generation For July

Mila Luleva — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 15:49:05 +0000

The EEX Transparency Platform recently published data, which indicates that Germany has broken the record with generating 5.1 TWh (terawatt-hours) of solar energy power in the month of July. The country has not only left behind some of the its biggest rivals, including Italy, Belgium, Check Republic and the U.S., but it also managed to […]

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German Coal and Gas-fired Plants Shut Down as Electricity Prices Drop

Mila Luleva — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 16:42:00 +0000

RWE, one of the leading electricity and gas companies in Europe, has recently announced their plans to close down some of their gas and coal-fired power plants with up to 3.1 GW of generated capacity. As a main reason for this, the company outlines the drop in electricity prices due to the growing number of […]

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Germany’s Transition To Green Energy Moving Faster Than Ever

Mila Luleva — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:29:39 +0000

Germany’s feed-in tariffs, an initiative that began in year 2000, allow small scale green energy producers to sell excess power to the national grid. The scale and cost of the project are comparable to the fall of the Berlin wall, but market analysts and skeptics wonder whether the country will be able to handle the […]

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Automotive Emissions Reduction Could Save Billions, Germany Fears Change

Benji Jerew — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:16:32 +0000

Automakers really don’t have much incentive to reduce emissions, at least not financially. Two main factors drive the development of automobiles with fewer emissions: legislation and the economy. When the economy turns down or prices go up, there is a corresponding surge in sales of more economical vehicles, which reduce emissions. Legislation, on the other hand, […]

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Angela Merkel Wants One Million Electric Cars in Germany By 2020

Mila Luleva — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:56:41 +0000

German highways are in for a makeover, as German chancellor Angela Merkel has set a very ambitious target of 1 million electric vehicles on the German roads by 2020. Last week during an international forum in Berlin, the chancellor expressed her visions about the future development of the electric car industry and stated that the […]

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Power-to-Gas System in Germany Uses Sun and Wind to Make Natural Gas

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:39:07 +0000

Germany is about to start a new phase in its energy revolution with a project that is meant to use captured carbon dioxide, use solar and wind power to produce hydrogen from water, and combine all of them to produce natural gas, aka methane. The project, named “Power to Gas” (P2G), aims to use the […]

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Germany and France On The Right Way to Renewable Energy Transition

Mila Luleva — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 11:37:29 +0000

Despite numerous efforts of critics and opponents of renewable energy to undermine the importance of solar and wind, and to stimulate burning of fossil fuels as an energy source, they cannot keep up with current technological advances and sustainable development policies. Various green energy projects demonstrate that the key to ‘cleaner’ future is to create […]

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Germany Perfecting Wind Power Forecasts to Increase Energy Production

Benji Jerew — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:31:39 +0000

The German government, in its plan to put away nuclear power forever, is looking to the seas and skies to meet their energy needs, specifically, wind power. Offshore installations are much more expensive, but Tobias Klaas, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology [IWES] in Kassel, says there “is still […]

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Renewable Energy Usage Led by Germany in 2012

Maria Reyes — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 20:03:37 +0000

Germany is fast becoming a world leader in renewable energy usage. In the first half of 2012, a staggering 67.9 billion KWh was generated from renewable sources, which is equivalent to 25.97 percent of electricity generation in the country. That is a tremendous leap compared to 20.56 percent in 2011 and 18.3 percent in 2010 […]

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Germany Uses More Renewable Energy Than Ever Before, Surpassing Nuclear

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:15:45 +0000

Among the world’s most developed countries, Germany seems to be on the right track concerning renewable energy production. The country’s renewable resources have been used more than the classic ones this year, reports BDEW, Germany’s Federal Association of Energy. Therefore, nuclear power dropped to 17.4 percent after Chancellor Angela Merkel had decided to show down […]

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Germany Could Store Renewable Energy in Ex-Nazi Labor Camps from Harz Mountains

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:11:13 +0000

Germany has set itself on a one-way road towards adopting clean, renewable energy, even if that means giving up what is today its most prolific resource: nuclear power. However, Germany has lots of other options, so many that they’ll need extra storage for the energy that can be produced using offshore wind turbines or solar […]

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Germany's Solar Power Will Soon Overload The Grid

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:37:31 +0000

Germany could soon be confronted with a problem: they will have too much solar power, unadapted to their lifestyle. The electric grid, designed for times that had far less consumers and producers than they are now, will ultimately come to an overload, says Stephan KÃƒÆ’¶hler, head of DENA, Germany's energy agency, to the Berliner Zeitung on Oct. 17.

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Germany to Get Its Electricity from Renewables by 2050

Mike Sandru — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:09:53 +0000

Germany is planning to become the first G20 country that will generate its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050, being also a leader in this field. According to the Federal Environment Agency, this country currently produces about 16 percent of its electricity from solar, wind and other renewable sources.

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AFC Developing Cheaper Fuel Cells Immune to CO2 Poisoning

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:31:06 +0000

UK-based company AFC Energy has developed an alkaline-based hydrogen fuel cell technology and tested it at a chlor-alkai plant in Germany, where they demonstrated it can generate electricity and feed it to the grid as efficiently as older, more expensive platinum-based fuel cells.

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Redox Flow Batteries: a Quickly-Charging Alternative to Li-Ion?

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:31:21 +0000

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfintzal, near Karlsruhe, propose an alternative to the lazily-charging Lithium-Ions: the redox flow batteries.

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Fraunhofer Develops New, Easy to Make High Efficiency Solar Cells

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:06:01 +0000

Yet another efficiency record has been established for mass-producible solar cells: 23.4%. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) from Germany succeeded to manufacture a single-crystal silicon solar cell of a thin p-type semiconductor layer residing on an n-type semiconductor substrate. The solar cell's area is 2x2cm.

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Germany Storing CO2 Underground

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:48:13 +0000

Germany has an ongoing plan to store their CO2 emissions underground. They used a special drill during tests earlier this year for the carbon capture project in Ketzin. The GFZ geoscience institute says that Germany will inaugurate Europe's first underground carbon dioxide storage site.

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