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Hamburg-Takt – Red-Green prestige project becomes a symbol of political misplanning
In Hamburg, the failure of a key transportation promise made by the SPD and the Greens became painfully apparent in the spring of 2026. The Hamburg Pulse, announced in 2019, was supposed to ensure that every resident of the city could reach public transportation within five minutes by 2030. This very promise, despite being touted
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Regular frequency dips around 10 p.m.: Wind turbine throttling as the likely cause
On windy days, the continental European power grid regularly experiences significant frequency drops shortly after 10 p.m. The likely cause is the simultaneous throttling of numerous wind turbines in Germany, which are only permitted to operate at reduced capacity after this time due to nighttime noise regulations. On March 24, 2026, the grid frequency dropped
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New economic forecasts paint a bleak picture for Germany
Germany will enter the new economic year in spring 2026 with weak prospects. According to their joint forecast, leading economic institutes now expect growth of only 0.6 percent, down from their autumn prediction of 1.3 percent. At the same time, they anticipate an inflation rate of 2.8 percent and an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent.
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New study reveals massive changes in sediment deposition due to offshore wind farms
In the North Sea, particularly in the German Bight, recent studies from 2026 show that offshore wind farms significantly alter natural currents, thereby shifting sediment deposition over large areas. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon analyzed measurement data and model calculations. They found that the foundations of the turbines influence the transport of fine-grained material
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Lower Saxony allows new natural gas exploration – dispute over domestic production flares up again
As of April 1st, Lower Saxony has granted Vermilion Energy Germany three permits for the commercial exploration of hydrocarbons. These include the “Unterweser I” field in the districts of Osterholz, Rotenburg (Wümme), and Verden, east of Bremen. This does not yet mean that production or drilling will commence. However, the company has been granted the
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Diesel prices are escalating: Bus services and municipal services face massive cutbacks
Rising diesel prices are increasingly putting public transport and municipal services in Germany under pressure. (welt: 30.03.26) Particularly in rural areas, transport associations are warning of a wave of bankruptcies among bus companies, while municipalities like Eisleben are already considering concrete restrictions. The trigger is the sharp rise in fuel costs, which is overwhelming many
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100 percent renewable electricity by 2035 – why this goal will be expensive for Germany
Germany is pushing ahead with the transformation of its energy system, aiming to source almost all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035 and achieve complete climate neutrality by 2045. The political course focuses primarily on wind and solar energy, but criticism from the economic and industrial sectors is growing significantly. The trigger is
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The EU remains firm – no more Russian gas despite war, price pressure and growing resistance
In Brussels on Tuesday, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen ruled out a change of course despite the war in Iran and significantly rising energy costs. The EU will neither reverse its ban on Russian fossil fuels nor slow down the transition to renewable energies. The debate was triggered by new price shocks on the energy
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After fuel and gas prices, electricity prices are now also exploding
Following the disruptions in fuel and gas prices, the energy crisis is now hitting the electricity market with full force. In Germany, electricity contracts for the coming May were traded at €86.80 per megawatt-hour on the EEX power exchange on March 31. In France, the comparable price at the same time was only €22.06. This
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Diesel tankers are turning away from Europe and preferring to deliver to Asia
At least four oil tankers loaded with diesel changed course at the end of March on their way to Europe and are now heading for Asian buyers. The ships were originally intended to carry cargo for the European market. Instead, traders reacted quickly to higher prices in Asia. This is due to a shift in
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Fraunhofer study warns: Private photovoltaic storage systems are often unprofitable
Scientists at Fraunhofer Austria have developed a prototype in the “iLESS” research project that calculates the economic viability of private battery storage systems for photovoltaic installations. The core question is which storage size is cost-effective under real-world conditions. However, the evaluation of test households reveals a clear risk: many private storage systems are oversized and
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The risk of insolvency for wind farms is increasing – authorities must scrutinize permits more strictly
The risk of insolvency for new wind power projects in Germany is increasing significantly because negative electricity prices are on the rise, the planned reform of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) will reduce subsidies, grid operators will be allowed to refuse new connections, and compensation for grid-related shutdowns is slated to be eliminated. At
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Enpal is shutting down its customer service department and laying off nearly 100 employees immediately
At its Berlin location, the energy startup Enpal dissolved its entire customer service department for photovoltaic systems during a town hall meeting on Tuesday, laying off 97 employees with immediate effect. The move stems from a restructuring of the service model, which had been in preparation for about a year and involved replacing previous responsibilities
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Taiwan plans to restart the shut-down Maanshan nuclear power plant
Taiwan Power Company has submitted an application to the Nuclear Safety Council for a new operating license for the Maanshan nuclear power plant. The plant’s two units were already taken offline in July 2024 and May 2025, respectively, because their 40-year operating licenses expired and Taiwan’s nuclear phase-out took effect. The impetus for this new
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Bumpy restructuring – Varta cuts another 150 jobs
Battery manufacturer Varta is cutting 150 jobs at its Nördlingen site. The affected subsidiary is Micro Production, whose employees received the news before Christmas. Following announcements in recent weeks, the layoffs have now been issued. The reason is a significant decline in sales figures and revised customer forecasts. This has led to a drop in