two craftsmen install a window
Energy policy

New 'Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings'

Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy has never been so rewarding and so easy. The new 'Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings' programme has been launched, featuring a streamlined application procedure for all funding – including large amounts.

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Distribution of power plant capacity among the individual Länder in 2019

direct view

More and more power plant capacity based on renewables

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony-Anhalt and Rhineland-Palatinate, renewable energy accounts for the highest share of total installed power plant capacity. In North Rhine-Westphalia, conventional power plants still predominate by a sizable margin.

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Stanislaw Tillich, Federal Government Commissioner for Structural Change in the Ukrainian Coal-Mining Regions
Energy policy

'People should be protagonists, not just background actors'

Ukraine is planning to phase out coal and to create an increasingly carbon-free economy in the coming years. Stanislaw Tillich, Federal Government Commissioner for Structural Change in the Ukrainian Coal-Mining Regions, explains how Germany is helping Ukraine in this effort.

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Illustration shows renewable energies, a factory and a residential building seen through a magnifying glass

direct account

What exactly is landlord-to-tenant electricity?

Sunlight has to travel around 150 million kilometres to reach the photovoltaic systems on the rooftops of our cities. Find out how this becomes landlord-to-tenant electricity and what this really has to do with tenants.

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Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy

Quote of the week

'In addition to tackling the current crisis, we must also set our sails for the future and drive forward the global energy transition by exploiting the full potential of renewable energy. It is now a matter of setting the course in a way that enables us to achieve our goals of building sustainable energy systems that combine effective climate-change mitigation with sound economic sense and the same high security of supply we have now.'

Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, on the occasion of the IRENA General Assembly

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What the press say

This time in 'What the press say': Record figures for the energy transition – global investment in the energy transition has exceeded US$500 billion for the first time; €44 million was paid out to German citizens who opted for heating based on renewable energy in November 2020 alone, and the wind farms in the North Sea are producing more electricity than ever before ( +12.

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direct reports

Three new funding calls for applied energy research

In German only
Three new funding calls for applied energy research are now giving researchers the opportunity to present their innovative project ideas for funding. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy's 'Hydrogen Technology Initiative' funding call is promoting research and development as part of the Federal Government's Hydrogen Strategy. Two other new funding calls are dedicated to the digitalisation of the energy system. These are: the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy‘s 'Communication Technologies for the Energy Industry' (KomTechE) funding call and the 'Digital Transformation for Green Energy Transition' funding call launched by the global Mission Innovation initiative and the ERA-Net EnerDigit of the EU's Joint Programming Platform Smart Energy Systems. Find out more

Coronavirus pandemic was central topic of IRENA General Assembly

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the four-day General Assembly of the International Energy Agency (IRENA) took place this year as a virtual event. The pandemic situation also took up much of the agenda. The main topic of discussion was the importance of the energy transition for a sustainable recovery after the COVID 19 pandemic. EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson also spoke about renewable energy and the path to carbon neutrality. Other topics included financing for renewable energy investments, the energy supply to the health sector, and national energy masterplans to promote the energy transition. A new IRENA forum (High Level Vision Building Forum on the Global Energy Transition) has also been established to provide impetus for the global energy transition. Find out more

IPCEI funding for innovative ideas for hydrogen technologies

In German only
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure have made a call for proposals for projects in the field of hydrogen technologies and systems. The two federal ministries, together with the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the German Länder, are planning to fund integrated projects ranging from the production of green hydrogen and infrastructure, to the use of hydrogen in industry and mobility. The funding is to be provided within the framework of the 'Important Projects of Common European Interest' (IPCEIs) and to come from budget funds from the Federal Government’s 2019 stimulus package as well as financial resources from the Länder. Project abstracts can be submitted until 19 February 2021. Find out more

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