In brief | 21 August '24

Politico: Germany ties itself to Taiwan on chips. It comes with risks.

A new microchips plant by world leader TSMC is a boon for Dresden, but Berlin wants to avoid alienating its major trade partner Beijing.

Bloomberg: Germany's power-grid impasse is stalling billions in deals

Two of Germany’s biggest utilities are putting deals worth billions of euros on hold after the government failed to buy part of Tennet Holding BV, operator of the country’s biggest power-grid network.

Euractiv: White hat hacker shines spotlight on vulnerability of solar panels installed in Europe

An ethical hack of solar panels in the Netherlands has revealed their vulnerability to cyber attacks, prompting industry calls for more rigorous safety assessments.

Eurostat: Solar overtook hard coal as electricity source in 2022

In 2022, hard coal for the first time was overtaken by solar energy in electricity generation in the EU.