The accelerated phase-out of nuclear power following the nuclear disaster in Japan has put German energy policy on the map for many people. Since then, the word “Energiewende” has even become a new loanword in the English language. Despite the increase in international attention, many reports about the Energiewende miss … [continued]
Renewable energy, electric mobility, efficient buildings and appliances are the future. In Germany, that vision of the future is not only deeply rooted in public opinion, but also official policy – labeled the “Energiewende.” Owning a piece of that future today is thus a really good sales pitch, especially when … [continued]
On Sunday, CleanTechnica broke the news that Germany broke yet another solar power record when the country’s 1.3+ million PV systems turned a sunny summer day into 23.9 GW of solar power at about 1:30 PM. This short breaking news has drawn quite a lot of attention, which is reason enough … [continued]
While many countries still discuss whether or not a 100% renewable energy system – or “just” a 100% renewable electricity supply – is even theoretically possible, Germans seem no longer bothered by such unscientific doubts. To make matters “worse,” some of them (including myself) are even convinced that a transition … [continued]
Every time energy policy is being discussed, you’ll usually find a call for more R&D spending at the top of the list of ways to solve problems. While I agree that research is great, it’s obviously not enough and, if anything, only the first step. Unfortunately, calls for more R&D … [continued]
I’ve recently stumbled upon a number of articles by the Breakthrough Institute (BTI) that aimed at discrediting renewable energy on the one hand and on the other preaching about nuclear energy as the solution for the global energy crisis of the 21st century. With their hearts and minds pre-set on pushing … [continued]
On the invitation of the German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier, high-level representatives from 10 countries have gathered in Berlin to establish the Renewables Club on June 1st, 2013. Their common goal is to scale up the deployment of renewable energy worldwide. Founding members of this pro-renewable alliance are the People’s … [continued]
Scientists at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) in Ulm, Germany have developed a top-class lithium-ion battery, in terms of cycle stability – an important parameter for the lifetime. It is exceeding the current international state of technology for high-performance battery cells. More Than 85% of Capacity after 10,000 … [continued]
Here at CleanTechnica we try to cover developments in renewable energy as broad and in-depth as possible, but as our name indicates, there is a clear focus on technology. However the transformation/evolution of our energy system also has many other exciting aspects, and energy democracy through distributed generation and ownership … [continued]
On Monday, the 15th of April, 2013, the approximate 1.3 million solar power systems in Germany set a new domestic/world record by reaching a peak power output of 22.68 GW at noon. The New Normal This new record is almost 0.5 GW above the “old” record of 22.2 GW, which was … [continued]
