The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is expanding its funding for fuel cell heating systems. With immediate effect, you can apply to KfW for attractive subsidies for the installation of fuel cell heating systems in both all residential and non-residential buildings. Private individuals, freelancers, small and medium-sized enterprises (including contractors) as well as municipal and non-profit organisations are eligible to apply.
The subsidy is available for fuel cell heating systems with an electrical output of up to 5 kW that are installed either as part of a refurbishment or a new build. Depending on the electrical output, a subsidy of up to 28,200 euros per installed fuel cell is possible.
The aim of extending the funding is to establish the pioneering fuel cell technology for supplying electricity and heat in buildings on a broad market. Fuel cell heating systems are significantly more efficient than conventional combined heat and power systems. The natural gas or biogas used is utilised much more efficiently, which also leads to lower CO2 emissions.
Grant funding for fuel cell heating systems is part of the German government's "Energy Efficiency Incentive Programme". It supplements the existing KfW programmes for energy-efficient construction and renovation. Since the programme was launched in August 2016, the installation of over 900 fuel cell heating systems, primarily in detached and semi-detached houses, has been supported with grants of around 13 million euros.
Average building land prices for individual development by district type 2007 to 2016 Fig.: BBSR Bonn
Between 2011 and 2016, the average price of building land for owner-occupied homes across Germany rose by 27 per cent from 129 euros per square metre to 164 euros. In the major cities, the price per square metre of building land rose by 33 per cent - from just over EUR 250 in 2011 to just under EUR 350 in 2016. This not only makes residential property significantly more expensive, but also puts the brakes on affordable rental housing construction. This is the result of an analysis by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).
The analysis is based on purchase price data from the official expert committees for property values for the last five years. In the urban and rural districts, the price level and increase lagged behind the major cities. However, even there the increase was well above the general rate of inflation. In the urban districts - often districts surrounding large cities - purchase prices for undeveloped land rose from 132 euros per square metre in 2011 to 156 euros per square metre in 2016 (+19 per cent), while in the rural districts, the price per square metre of building land rose from 64 euros to 78 euros in 2016 (+20 per cent).
The average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development also rose significantly - by 27 per cent to EUR 112,000 in 2016. In the major cities, the average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development was just under EUR 200,000 (+ 25 per cent). Average purchase prices have risen particularly sharply in expensive cities. "Rising land prices determine the purchase or construction costs to a considerable extent, especially in the growth regions. This makes residential property more expensive," says BBSR expert Matthias Waltersbacher. "In tight markets, high building land prices are also driving rents for new builds up to EUR 14 to 16 per square metre. This means that privately financed residential construction at affordable rents is no longer possible."
While the transaction figures for plots of land for owner-occupier development remained fairly stable in the urban districts between 2011 and 2016, they fell by 30 per cent in the major cities. Transactions fell particularly sharply in expensive cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart. Rural districts recorded an increase of just under 15 per cent in the same period. "Property prices have recently risen so sharply that the pressure to realise them often no longer allows for the development of single-family homes," says Waltersbacher. "More and more buyers are looking for alternatives in the surrounding area."
The analysis is based on an examination of the independent cities and rural districts for which transaction data for properties is available via the purchase price collections of the expert committees for property values in a complete time series since 2011. This representative longitudinal section covers around a third of all cities and districts in Germany. A comprehensive analysis of the land and property market for the years 2015 and 2016 will be presented by the Working Group of the Higher Expert Committees, Central Offices and Expert Committees in the Federal Republic of Germany (AK OGA) in December 2017 with the German Property Market Report.
With efficiency, greater electrification and renewable energies, it is possible to organise completely greenhouse gas-neutral transport without having to accept restrictions on growth and quality of life. This is the result of scenarios developed by the Öko-Institut and presented today in Berlin by Parliamentary State Secretary Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter. The scenarios for greenhouse gas-neutral transport were developed together with key players from business and society.
Schwarzelühr-Sutter: "The options are there, the opportunities for the economy, the environment and people are great. Renewbility shows us that climate protection in transport is possible! And without sacrificing growth and prosperity, but on the contrary with a better quality of life. Climate protection in transport is no longer a question of whether. It's about how we design climate-neutral transport in the long term."
The results show: Complete decarbonisation of the transport sector is possible - and there are various options for achieving this. To achieve this, the energy basis of transport must be switched to renewable energies. And: Efficient vehicles and modes of transport must be prioritised. The latter is particularly important for two reasons. Firstly, it saves a lot of costs if renewable energies are not wasted unnecessarily. And secondly, it drastically improves the quality of life if, in addition to an energy transition, more environmentally friendly modes of transport are used.
Until now, it was often assumed that environmentally friendly transport would ultimately have to restrict the mobility of many people or the economy. The results of Renewbility disprove this. The research project shows that, on the contrary, greenhouse gas-neutral transport can actually promote growth and improve mobility and quality of life. Numerous discussions with stakeholders from politics, business and civil society form the basis for looking to the future. Suggestions from these discussions have set the direction. The results brochure, key graphics and further information can be found at www.renewbility.de .
An overview of all BMUB mobility projects can be found here: www.mobil-wandel.de
In 2015, a historic double success was achieved for sustainability and climate policy. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate protection define an ambitious global target system. The group of the twenty most important industrialised and emerging countries (G20) should now resolutely press ahead with the implementation of both agreements and perceive the Great Transformation towards sustainability as a unique modernisation project that offers considerable economic development opportunities. For example, the complete decarbonisation of the global economy needed to avoid the greatest climate risks can only be implemented with a profound transformation of energy systems and other emissions-intensive infrastructures. The transformation inspires innovation and directs investments towards sustainability and climate protection, including in the sustainable infrastructures to be built and expanded. At the same time, the transformation can be used to fight inequality, i.e. to advance inclusion within societies as well as globally, and thus become a justice project.
The main recommendations of the report can be found here. Download the report. Order the print version
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