In the media: e-mobility research, renewables
Dow Jones Newswires
“E-Mobility project: Municipal utilities are looking for a common business model”
A new federal research project called “econnect Germany” aims to demonstrate the opportunities e-mobility offers to energy suppliers, Dow Jones Newswires reports. Seven municipal utilities (stadtwerke) will test smart traffic measures that integrate e-mobility into the power system, so that cars can provide power storage and solar panels in car parks are used to charge e-cars. Participating communities include the cities of Trier, Duisburg, Aachen and Leipzig as well as the island of Sylt and the Allgäu mountain region.
See the econnect website in German here.
Oekonews.net
“Renewable energies at a cross-roads: competition more important than subsidies”
The website oekonews.net reports on a study by law firm Rödl & Partner on financing for renewable energy projects, saying that while renewable development in has slowed in Germany, it has seen as major push internationally, particularly in Africa, China and Latin America. Many former core markets for renewable technologies - including Germany - have reduced drastically subsidies, meaning the competitiveness of these technologies is now the central factor for success, the article says. But countries like China and the US are still increasing state funding for renewables. The article say this is a problem for investors, who face different rules for assistance and payments to renewable installations across different countries.
Read the article in German here.
Financial Times
“Here be modern-day fossil-fuel dragons”
In an article for the FT, Steve Johnson writes that 2014 saw a “drip feed” of divestment from the global fossil fuel sector. By September, 180 institutions and around 650 individuals with combined assets of around 50 billion dollars had pledged to divest from fossil fuels, according Australian consultancy Arabella Advisors. Aside from moral concerns, investors are increasingly wary of the impact legislation aimed at climate protection on long-term investments, Johnson reports. The article quotes an Amsterdam-based asset manager saying that operating margins in the German utility sector have fallen from 15 percent to 5 percent since 2005.
See the article in English here.
Germany Trade and Invest
“Germany's novel approach to funding energy research”
Government agency GTAI says in a press release that Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is opening up funding for energy-related research to cover projects “across the entire energy chain.”
See the statement in English here.
Clean Technica
“German Solar Power Storage System Prices Drop 25 percent”
Zachary Shahan writes that according to figures from BSW-Solar, prices for German solar storage systems fell by 25 percent in the first half of 2014, and around 15,000 German households now use battery storage combined with solar power.
See the article in English here.
