German Federal Ministry for the Environment

Living without gas and electricity grid connection: On 5 May, German building promoter Helma Eigenheimbau AG inaugurated its first energy self-sufficient home located in the 'show house park for sustainable construction' at the company’s headquarters in Lehrte, Germany. The sun supplies the thermal energy required for hot water and space heating, as well as the electricity for the household and the electric car. As a result, the house is completely independent from any energy suppliers.
Photo: Helma Eigenheimbau AG

After many weeks of waiting and worrying, it is now official: On 7 July, the budget committee of the German parliament unblocked the EUR 115 million funds intended for the country's market incentive programme (MAP). The German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), which is responsible for the MAP, confirmed in a press release a day later that, as of 12 July, applications are accepted again.

The after effects of the financial crisis are again threatening the German solar sector: Not only had the industry to cope with a 25% decrease in sales in 2009, but now the National Rebate Programme for Renewable Energies (MAP) seems to already run out of money – although the new year is not even half over.

The six main features in different colours: This is the brand mark of a new website called saisonalspeicher.de (seasonal heat storage) launched in December by Solites, the German Research Institute for Solar and Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems within the company network of the Steinbeis Foundation.

This paper presented during the Eurosun Conference in Lisbon in 2008 by Edo Wiemken and Alexander Morgenstern from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, presents information on the status of the research for three solar cooling and air-conditioning demonstration plants using pure water as collector fluid in combination with vacuum tube collectors.