Project platform for exploring electricity-to-gas (SzG) technology in the Thüga Group successfully completed Important findings have been collected and scientifically validated in the past five years of project work SzG and gas distribution grids are an integral part of the energy transition Policy must create appropriate framework conditions Frankfurt/Munich 08.08.2017: The Thüga Group's project phase for exploring electricity-to-gas [...]
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On 5 November 1977 27 people, including lawyers from the anti-nuclear movement, members of various environmental movements and critical natural scientists, but also economists and representatives of the Protestant Church, founded the Öko-Institut in Freiburg. The aim was to provide the public with independent scientific advice and well-founded expert opinions.
According to Dr. Axel Berg, chairman of the board of the German section of EUROSOLAR, neither ambitious climate protection goals nor increased ecological awareness are the drivers of the energy turnaround, but rather "the exponential cost degression in renewable energy technologies, the technical innovations in storage technologies and a high level of interest from the industrial economy." In his detailed [...]
For the fifth time and in keeping with its 120th birthday, Spar- und Bauverein Solingen eG awarded the nationwide Klaus Novy Prize for innovations in cooperative building and living in July. This prize was established by SBV eG as a stimulus for cooperative ideas on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. This year, the prize was awarded to [...]
The jury selected nine winners this year, and seven additional commendations were awarded. 134 projects were submitted, all of which, according to the jury, "demonstrate a degree of maturity in craftsmanship that can hardly be surpassed". On 30 June they were awarded in the CUBUS Wolfurt. The "Vorarlberger Holzbaupreis 2017" was awarded to:
The balcony modules with which EWE has equipped an entire apartment building in Delmenhorst have been in operation for a year. The yield balance shows that tenants use almost 80 per cent of the solar electricity themselves and can cover up to 20 per cent of their electricity consumption with it. Read the report from 12 July 2017 at: www.pv-magazine.de/2017/07/12/mieter-nutzen-rund-80-prozent-ihres-balkonstroms-selbst
Our land consumption is still far too high The Federal Government's target of reducing daily land consumption to 30 hectares per day is a long way off. Currently, daily land consumption for settlement and transport still averages 66 hectares per day. Thus, this year's 30 hectare day fell on the 15th [...]
With the funding announcement "Solar Construction / Energy-Efficient City", the BMBF together with the BMWi will provide up to 100 million euros over the next five years for research, development and innovation in the field of sustainable urban development. In the first round of calls for proposals, more than 60 consortia from city administrations, research institutes and [...]
The 88th Conference of Environment Ministers has just passed a resolution in Bad Saarow on the "Promotion of Building with Wood", which was introduced by Rhineland-Palatinate. The document calls on the federal government to improve the framework conditions for timber construction. The German Timber Industry Council e. V. (DHWR) expressly welcomes this initiative.
The current issue of the timber construction magazine "Mikado" presents the design of the first construction site of Germany's largest timber construction estate: https://www.mikado-online.de/wp-content//uploads/2017/05/2017_06_Geschosswohnungsbau_Muenchen.pdf According to the Mikado article, all the plots in the model development, which is up to seven storeys high, have already been allocated.
Stadtwerke Herne is planning to build a climate-friendly and car-free housing estate with an innovative energy concept in Sodingen: seven detached single-family homes are being built in Baueracker, which will be largely self-sufficient in terms of energy. The building permit is expected before the end of this year. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for early 2018. The first families are expected to move in in February 2019.
BaunetzWoche#494: Cooperatives are currently experiencing a true renaissance in Zurich. The "Mehr als Wohnen" neighbourhood and the "Zwicky Süd" project are now trying to bring urban qualities to the agglomeration. Can these two projects facilitate new lifestyles beyond private housing? Link: www.baunetz.de/...baunetzwoche_ausgabe_5108639.html
Sea sand is a sought-after building material - so sought-after that beaches are being plundered everywhere. Researchers now want to tap the desert instead. To the article from 1.7.2017: www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen/baustoff-der-welt-geht-der-sand-aus-1.3588083
With 46 billion euros per year, the Federal Government favours the mining and climate-damaging burning of coal, oil and gas in Germany. This policy makes the energy transition more expensive and passes on a large part of the follow-up costs of fossil energies to society. This is the result of a study by the Forum Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft (FÖS) [...]
"The planning for the Kreuzberg site is beginning. The initiatives that fought against privatization for a long time are allowed to have a say." Read the article from 17.7.2017: www.taz.de/Dragoner-Areal-in-Kreuzberg/!5427116
Senate passes new building code The Hamburg Senate passed a new building code on June 13. Hamburg is one of the first federal states to create new possibilities for diverse and innovative construction with wood: In future, wood may also be used for building projects with a height of up to 22 metres - this corresponds [...]
Photovoltaic systems are already a financially rewarding investment for homeowners today. Coupled with a solar power storage system, the profit will increase even more in the future. This is because storage systems are on the verge of becoming economically viable. This is the result of calculations by the Solar Cluster Baden-Württemberg.
Rents in Munich have risen by 70 percent in the past 22 years - the development is upsetting many Munich residents. What makes the state capital so expensive and how old residents and newcomers suffer from it. Read the recommended article in the SZ of 15.7.2017: www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/mietpreise-in-muenchen-schoene-viel-zu-teure-stadt-1.3587919
07.07.2017 - The Ministry of the Environment in Thuringia has increased the funding for the Solar Invest Programme by a further 1.3 million euros as of 1 July 2017. After Erfurt already increased the originally planned funding amount of 2.5 million euros by 1.9 million euros in April, a total of 5.7 million euros are available for this year [...]
Hamburg (8 July 2017). In Hamburg, 19 heads of government of the largest economies jointly reaffirmed their commitment to the swift implementation of the Paris climate agreement and rejected US President Trump's attempt to undermine it. The final declaration - according to the leaked result - will highlight the differences between the US and the [...]
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.
In this interview, Hermann Kaufmann focuses on wood as a material and talks about the role the material and architecture play in his life. Click here for the interview: www.detail.de/artikel/holz-ist-ein-versprechen...
"Europe's largest rental for e-load bikes has started in Cologne. The initiators see the project as an active contribution to the energy transition and want to transfer the system - if it is successful - to other cities" Read the article: https://enorm-magazin.de/europas-groesster-e-lastenrad-verleih
Eco-neighborhoods are experimental laboratories in which the future of urban development is being tested. In a hybrid of fiction and documentary, the series presents eco-neighborhoods in Germany, France and Switzerland. In 12 episodes, the neighbourhoods enter into a dialogue with each other and present their objectives with regard to sustainable urban development.
Kaiserslautern (energate) - The Energy Agency Rhineland-Palatinate and the consulting firm BET Aachen have published a study on the topic of "Attractive business models with PV systems". Click here to go directly to the pdf download www.energieagentur.rlp.de/...Solarinitiative_Brosch_170526.pdf
The city of Frankfurt is initiating the largest urban development project of recent decades: In the northwest, 550 hectares of current agricultural land between the Frankfurt districts of Niederursel and Praunheim and the neighboring towns of Steinbach and Oberursel are to be turned into a neighborhood with up to 11,400 apartments.
Initiative HolzProKlima honours award winners Over the last 150 years, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere responsible for climate change has risen sharply. Germany has set itself the goal of becoming largely greenhouse gas neutral by 2050. What great importance municipalities have in achieving these climate protection goals and what [...]
The city's largest timber house celebrated its topping-out ceremony in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg on Thursday. The six storeys consist of 371 pre-assembled wooden modules that are stacked on top of each other. The individual modules weigh more than nine tonnes and are virtually ready-made student flats, including bathroom, kitchenette and bed. Only the foundations and staircases are made of concrete. "The building could revolutionise the way residential buildings are built," said building owner Torsten Rickmann at the topping-out ceremony on Thursday. The student residence should be ready for occupancy by the winter semester. A furnished flat will cost 500 euros warm rent per month. The first students are due to move in on 1 October.
Berlin/ Hamburg: According to the newly founded Global Foundation Platform (F20), "the G7 Summit in Italy paved the way for the G20 Summit in Hamburg". "Six of the seven heads of state and government have shown their determination to implement the Paris climate agreement - despite the reluctance of the US government to do so". The largest economies now face the task of [...]
The ForschungsVerbund Erneuerbare Energien (FVEE) is today publishing its latest conference volume entitled "Research for the energy transition - shaping the energy system". The papers collected here from the last annual conference present current research findings and instruments for a successful energy transition. The spectrum of contributions ranges from scenarios for the transformation of the [...]
On 26 April 2017, the Agency for Renewable Energies in Berlin honoured the Saxon-Anhalt town of Burg for its commitment as Energy Municipality of the Month. A local tenant power project ensures that 230 rental apartments can obtain solar power to cover part of their electricity needs directly from the roof of their apartments. "Tenant power projects are ideal [...]
The study "Greenhouse Gas Balancing of Timber Buildings -Implementation of New Requirements for Life Cycle Assessments and Determination of Empirical Substitution Factors (GHG Timber Construction)" led by Prof. Dr. Annette Hafner (RuhrUni Bochum) has now been published. Download: http://forum-holzbau.com/nl_pdf/nl134_rub.pdf
In an interview with PV Magazine, Xavier Daval, President of the French solar association Ser-Soler, said the EU desperately needs a major European photovoltaic manufacturer. A complete exodus of the domestic solar industry to China and the US, he said, would drive Europe into energy dependency for decades to come. "We are not talking about a [...]
Now available! Old building districts have a reputation for lively urbanity, which is why they are extremely popular with residents. But new buildings can also develop this charm, as the large number of successful projects in this volume of the best of DETAIL series shows. In the end, it is a question of the mixture of residential and [...]
Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim is building one of the largest solar thermal plants in Germany with a collector area of over 10,000 m². The way is clear for another forward-looking project in Ludwigsburg: Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim GmbH (SWLB) has won a prize in the call for funding for municipal climate protection model projects as part of the national climate protection initiative of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety [...]
The 88th Conference of Environment Ministers has just passed a resolution in Bad Saarow on the "Promotion of Building with Wood", which was introduced by Rhineland-Palatinate. The document calls on the federal government to improve the framework conditions for timber construction. As the environmental minister of Rhineland-Palatinate reports, among other things, the positive climate protection properties of renewable raw materials are to be taken into account in the building energy [...]
