Please support the Ministry’s public relations work: We need your consent to be able to measure your user activity on our website using etracker. A pseudonymised evaluation of this data by etracker helps us to improve our website. You can revoke your consent at any time for the future. Once you have made your selection, the consent management screen will appear at the bottom of the page. You can use this to stop or to reactivate the statistical evaluation at any point. You can reactivate tracking by dragging the slider in the opposite direction.
This website sets temporary session cookies. These are strictly necessary and therefore cannot be deselected. Their sole purpose is to enable you to use the website.
How does etracker work? A script on our website triggers an http request which automatically forwards your IP address and the user agent to etracker GmbH. The first action is that your IP address is automatically shortened. The software then pseudonymises the transmitted data solely in order to identify multiple uses during the session. After seven days, all the attributions to the session are deleted, and your statistical data are entirely anonymised. Etracker is a German company and processes your data exclusively on our behalf on protected servers. The data are not passed on to other third parties. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is responsible for this processing of your data. You can contact our data protection officer at datenschutzbeauftragte@bmwk.bund.de. The legal basis is your consent in accordance with section 25(1) of the Act on Data Protection and the Protection of Privacy in Telecommunications and the Telemedia (TTDSG) in conjunction with Article 6(1)a of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and section 3(1) of the Act to Promote Electronic Government (EGovG). We have ensured that you can withdraw your consent at any time without any negative repercussions and wish to give you full control over the tracking on our website. We also provide a consent management function for this at the bottom of the page. You can use this to control whether etracker is enabled or not.
The Ministry also presents its work on this website in the form of videos. These are made available by the provider TV1 using JW Player. Please consent to the transmission of your IP address and other technical data to JW Player and allow JW Player to set cookies on your end device if you wish to view videos on our website. We also provide a consent management function for this at the bottom of the page. You can use this to control whether JW Player is enabled or not.
You can find detailed information on your rights and how we protect your privacy in our privacy policy.
Consent to the use of JW Player for video streaming
The Ministry also presents its work on this website in the form of videos. These are made available by the provider TV1 using JW Player. Please consent to the transmission of your IP address and other technical data to JW Player and allow JW Player to set cookies on your end device if you wish to view videos on our website. We also provide a consent management function for this at the bottom of the page. You can use this to control whether JW Player is enabled or not.
Everyone needs electricity and heat – but how to best organise transmission, distribution and storage? Go ahead and learn about the most intelligent designs and solutions!
Energy efficiency is key, both for the current building stock and for everything to be built from now on. Find out more about how the building stock can be made fit for future energy savings!
In tomorrow’s energy world, industries, commerce and agriculture use only a fraction of the energy they use today – with no negative effects on output.
Electromobility and new, alternative fuels are about to fundamentally change the transport sector. Find out more about the characteristics and prospects of these technologies!
In order to achieve an integrated energy system, power, heat and mobility need to be combined in a way that is both intelligent and sustainable. Take a look at relevant approaches in this field!
Are you looking for face-to-face meetings with German companies? Would you like to receive first-hand information? The German energy solutions initiative offers you a number of different possibilities to do so.
Sign up to our newsletter service to receive the latest information about German energy solutions and about opportunities to meet German business partners around the world.
All events
If you are interested in attending an event of the German energy solutions initiative, you will find the dates and locations in our calendar.
From the age-old use of firewood to cutting-edge biogas generation – biomass technology is a true all-rounder in terms of renewable energies. Go ahead and find out more!
People have been using biomass to generate energy since ancient times. However, the options available today are much more efficient than merely biomass burning. The one constant is that biomass can only release as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as was previously bound in the organisms during their growth. That makes biomass a CO2-neutral fuel and therefore a renewable form of energy.
Biomass, in solid, liquid or gas form, is very versatile in its range of possible applications, and is used to generate electricity and heat and as fuel for transport vehicles. And, in contrast to wind and solar energy, it can be used only when needed. In this way, it makes a valuable contribution to stabilising the energy system.
The most common types of bioenergy plant in Germany are those used for wood burning and gasification, as well as biomass plants used in agriculture, industry and private homes. Biofuels are one of the most significant renewable alternatives used in transport.
In light of the ambitious EU targets of 20% renewable energy and 10% biofuels by 2020, bioenergy is already near the top of the political agenda in Europe. The German biogas sector ranks among the pioneers in this area.
A closer look: Electricity and heating & cooling from bioenergy
Bioenergy is derived from solid biomass, biogas, liquid biomass or biofuels. The most widely used form of biomass for energy generation is wood, for instance in the form of firewood, wood chips and pellets. The practice of using bioenergy, especially in the form of burning wood, has a tradition that spans over thousands of years.
Since bioenergy can be used to generate electricity involving the combustion of biomass, biogas or bio fuels, it is ideally suited for applications in CHP and combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) processes. Despite the combustion process at the heart of converting solid biomass, biogas and biofuels into usable energy, the conversion is virtually CO2-neutral. Burning wood or other biomass agents only releases the amount of emissions absorbed by the organism during its growth phase. The same amount would be released if biomass was simply left to decay.
A closer look: Biogas and Comibined Heating and Power (CHP)
Biogas is the byproduct of the decomposition of organisms and can be used just like natural gas. It can be produced in biogas plants, and extracted from landfill sites, municipal waste water, industrial, domestic, commercial and agricultural waste materials and energy crops. Finally, biofuels are liquid energy sources most commonly used in the mobility sector.
Stationary use of biogas in CHP plants for generating power and heat achieves a very high degree of efficiency. The electricity produced can be fed into the grid or used as an independent power supply. The waste heat can be used for heating, drying, additional power generation downstream or, in a CCHP plant, for refrigeration.