“Brandenburg wants to become storage state”

The German state of Brandenburg is planning to invest 50 million euros in developing electricity and heat storage technology, but the European Commission must first decide if the programme abides by EU competition rules, writes Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten, citing the state economics minister Albrecht Gerber. Public support for private-sector development projects cannot exceed 200,000 euros, but this is not enough to develop the technology, the newspaper writes. Storing wind and solar electricity and heat is necessary in a renewables-based energy system for times when wind and sun are in short supply. Brandenburg wants to be a leader in the technology, the economics minister said.

Read the article in German here.

For more information, read the CLEW factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future?