The EU countries around the Baltic wish to foster the expansion of wind energy and intend to step their cooperation to this end. For this reason, they signed a joint declaration initiated by Poland at the end of September 2020, the Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Joint Declaration of Intent. The initiative aims to form a joint working group to boost cooperation. State Secretary Feicht said: 'Offshore wind energy is a priority of the German EU Council Presidency. Going forward, we want to continue implementing cross-border offshore projects with our neighbours. Against this background, I am particularly pleased that progress is also being made on the generation of clean energy at sea in the Baltic Sea region.' In addition to the EU Council Presidency, Germany also currently holds the presidency of the North Seas Energy Cooperation. Greater use can now be made of the experience gained in rolling out offshore wind energy in the North Sea in cooperation with other countries around the Baltic. Germany currently has 7.7 gigawatts of installed offshore capacity, of which around 1 gigawatt is located in the Baltic.
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The hydrogen research network established by the Economic Affairs Ministry commenced its work at the end of September 2020 at an opening event with more than 1,000 participants. The network brings stakeholders from business, research and policy-making together to share ideas about aspects of generation, storage, distribution and the cross-sectoral use of hydrogen. The intention is to accelerate the transfer of innovative hydrogen technologies to the market. The hydrogen research network, announced in the National Hydrogen Strategy, is the ninth research network launched as part of the Energy Research Programme. It will deliver key ideas for research and innovation policy in the field of hydrogen with a view to fostering practical applications. State Secretary Andreas Feicht said: 'As an energy source of the future, hydrogen is a central element of our efforts to tackle global warming and to foster a successful energy transition. By adopting the National Hydrogen Strategy, we have paved the way for Germany to rank first in the world in the field of hydrogen technologies.'
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Four years have passed since the 'SINTEG Smart Energy Showcases - Digital Agenda for the Energy Transition' funding programme was launched in order to deliver blueprints for an energy system which is primarily based on renewable energy. Grid operators, energy utilities, industry, municipal firms and representatives of the scientific community have been working together on the development and testing of new solutions in five model regions around Germany. The findings will be presented at the final SINTEG Conference on 28 and 29 October 2020. The conference will be held online and can be followed in a live stream on both days. A diverse programme will look at issues like digitisation, participation, public acceptance, potential and mechanisms for flexibility, and sector coupling. The event will also consider how policy-makers can make use of the momentum generated by SINTAG to shape the policy environment for the energy transition.
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'Resource-efficiency for the energy transition' and the 'Circular economy' are two new horizontal issues which the Federal Government has included in the Energy Research Programme. A survey to prepare the first call under the 'Resource efficiency in the context of the energy transition' funding priority is running until 6 November. The intention is to clarify the precise need for research more precisely. The idea is that the value inherent in products, materials, and resources used in the economy is to be upheld and retained for as long as possible, which helps minimise the volume of waste and emissions. The focus of the survey is therefore on the research requirements of companies and research institutions in the energy sector and in energy-intensive industry. Participants can highlight the requirements of relevance to them in the field of the circular economy and add their own topics which have yet to be included.
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