Local residents must have opportunity to share in wind park proceeds, federal court rules

In a decision published yesterday, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Bürger- und Gemeindenbeteiligungsgesetz (Citizen and Community Participation Act) is compatible with Germany’s Basic Law. The act requires wind park operators to make 20% of company shares available for purchase by residents and communities in the vicinity of the wind park.  Prof Dr […]

TransHyDE research consortium creates database for the standardisation and certification of hydrogen transport infrastructure

The TransHyDE research consortium ‘Standardisation and Certification’ has reached a major milestone in its mission to pave the way for a hydrogen economy: in late March, it finalised its work on a database that for the first time centralises information on existing standards, technical regulations, certifications and other related criteria in one location. This will […]

Exempt electrolysers from the scope of the Industrial Emissions Directive

Efforts by the European Commission to revise the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) present an opportunity to improve the legal framework for electrolysers. But a proposed revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) introduces requirements that would discourage electrolyser construction. IKEM concluded in a position paper issued after the Commission released its draft of the revision […]

Statement on the 6th Assessment Report of the IPCC

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On Monday, 4 April 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finalised the third instalment of the Sixth Assessment Report. The report reflects the best available science on climate change mitigation and represents the culmination of five years of work by 278 scientists from 65 countries. Governments and experts from around the world submitted […]

Three European cities lead the charge for electric mobility

The MEISTER project was designed to improve the conditions for ‘smart e-mobility’ in three major European cities. Maxim Blankschein, a senior research associate in the Mobility Department, managed the project at IKEM. He spoke with us about why the cities were interesting to research and what he learned from the MEISTER project. IKEM: There’s a […]

A shared commitment to the energy transition

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Since 2014, IKEM has collaborated with the Brandenburg-based energy provider ENERTRAG on a range of topics ­– from the expansion of renewable energies to the development of new concepts for community and citizen participation. After eight years of close cooperation on energy transition projects, the organisations still have ambitious plans for the future.  The collaboration […]

EU Taxonomy Regulation: it’s all in the details

The EU’s Taxonomy Regulation, adopted in summer 2020, aims to accelerate the shift towards a low-carbon economy by defining the criteria for ‘green’ economic activities. The goal is to encourage investment in activities that align with the EU’s environmental targets. Because sustainable financial products will play an increasingly important role in the future, technical assessment […]

IKEM’s ’50 for 55′ Campaign for the Energy Transition

At IKEM, protecting the planet is our primary mission. For over a decade, we’ve been at the forefront of Germany’s transition to a renewable energy system. With your support, we can continue to work towards a climate-neutral energy transition.   Our ‘50 for 55’ Campaign highlights the vital role of the energy transition in achieving climate neutrality – […]

Easier said than done

The new coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), intends to function as an “alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability.” Indeed, the statements made in the coalition agreement sound ambitious in terms of climate protection. However, the agreement leaves questions concerning their implementation open. “This […]