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Sanctions on buyers of Russian energy: China “firmly” rejects US plans
China has sharply criticized US plans to tighten sanctions on buyers of Russian energy. On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian accused Washington of “double standards and coercion.” China is one of the largest purchasers of Russian oil. Russia funds a significant portion of its war of aggression against Ukraine through revenue from energy exports.…
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Wind and solar project developer SOWITEC files for insolvency – stock exchange halts bond trading
SOWITEC, a wind and solar project developer based in Sonnenbühl, filed for insolvency with the Tübingen Local Court on July 14, 2026. The filing affects the parent company as well as three other group subsidiaries. The company is insolvent and over-indebted under insolvency law. Negotiations regarding supplier claims and demands arising from surety bonds had…
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Real estate funds: Health insurance funds and panel doctors face potential losses of 127 million euros
Several health insurance funds and associations of statutory health insurance physicians are facing substantial combined losses from the Verius real estate fund. Known or claimed losses amount to at least 127 million euros. Affected parties include KKH, Pronova BKK, and several associations of statutory health insurance physicians. Additionally, BKK Gildemeister Seidensticker is seeking compensation for…
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Blackout, brownout, power outage – what is the actual difference?
Blackouts, brownouts, and power outages refer to different types of disruptions in the electricity supply. A standard power outage is usually geographically limited. The term “brownout” is contested: in a strict technical sense, it describes a prolonged drop in voltage, though authorities sometimes also use it to refer to controlled shutdowns. A blackout, by contrast,…
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250-meter wind turbines on the Dachsberg: Residents raising funds for potential lawsuit
In Windhagen, local residents are raising funds for a legal review and a potential lawsuit against two planned 250-meter wind turbines at Dachsberg. The turbines are set to be built right on the state border near Bad Honnef, while many of the affected homes are located in Rhineland-Palatinate. The municipality intended to provide financial support…
Blackout News on Social Media
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Strikingly high number of PV fires during the heatwave
Since mid-June, at least ten fires involving buildings equipped with solar installations or associated storage systems have been reported in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. This striking series of PV-related fires largely coincided with an extraordinary heatwave across Western and Central Europe; consequently, high temperatures are considered a potential trigger or contributing factor. However, investigators have…
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Budapest evaluates 125-kilometer pipeline for waste heat from Paks nuclear power plant
Budapest is evaluating a pipeline from the Paks nuclear power plant to the Hungarian capital to utilize the plant’s waste heat for district heating. The municipal utility and the Technical University are conducting a joint feasibility study for the project. The initiative is driven by technical advancements and the recurring warming of the Danube caused…
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RWE CEO Krebber calls for climate target to be postponed – Germany’s go-it-alone approach too costly
RWE CEO Markus Krebber is calling for Germany’s climate targets to be spread out over a longer timeframe and for the target date for climate neutrality to be pushed back from 2045 to 2050. He considers Germany’s previous go-it-alone approach—which diverged from the EU’s 2050 target—to be economically damaging and ineffective in terms of climate…
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Heatwave-induced lull highlights Germany’s reliance on imported electricity
Germany was unable to meet its electricity demand solely through active domestic generation between June 22 and 28, 2026. A stable high-pressure system pushed the share of wind power down to 11.2 percent, while solar power provided high output only during the day. Consequently, coal, gas, and imported electricity filled the remaining gap. Net imports…
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Cadmium in solar modules: Hazardous substances become a problem of the solar boom
A major fire at a cold storage facility in Boyle Heights illustrates the difficulty of managing destroyed photovoltaic modules in the event of damage. The roof of the approximately 500,000-square-foot building was covered with solar panels. The fire broke out on June 17 and lasted for several days, prompting authorities to issue warnings regarding smoke,…
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Labor market losing industrial jobs: 15,000 positions lost per month
In June 2026, the industrial crisis in the German labor market is intensifying, even though unemployment is falling slightly. The Federal Employment Agency in Nuremberg reports 2.936 million unemployed persons and an unemployment rate of 6.2 percent. At the same time, the manufacturing sector is currently losing around 15,000 jobs per month; over a twelve-month…
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Old heating law to be scrapped – heating subsidies to decrease
The federal government is fast-tracking reforms to the rules governing heating system replacements. The “traffic light” coalition’s unpopular heating law—which mandates climate-friendly heating systems—is set to be scrapped as early as Friday. The Federal Constitutional Court cleared the way for this on Thursday by dismissing a procedural challenge filed by the Left Party parliamentary group.…
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Wind turbine accident near Aalen: Rotor blade falls from 100 meters
On Sunday, July 5, 2026, a rotor blade detached from a wind turbine near Aalen-Waldhausen in the Ostalb district. Waldhausen is located east of the main town of Aalen on the Härtsfeld plateau in Baden-Württemberg; the wind farm in question is situated between Waldhausen and Hülen. The blade fell from a hub height of approximately…
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Blackouts and Power Outages: 5 Important Points Every Household Should Consider
A blackout or prolonged power outage can affect households far more severely than a brief grid disruption. If the power fails for many hours or even days, appliances and services such as refrigerators, heating pumps, the internet, card payment systems, lighting, elevators, and often even parts of the water supply will function only to a…
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Germany’s infrastructure is crumbling – and policymakers are shuffling billions around
A commentary by our author Klaus Bastian Bridges, railway stations, and roads in Germany are now visibly falling into disrepair: the Carola Bridge in Dresden remains out of commission for years following its partial collapse in 2024, the North Bridge in Bonn has been completely closed due to structural damage, and the completion of the…