EEHH Cluster presents German Renewables Awards

The regional hydrogen hub, built by the Apex Group in Rostock-Laage, was honoured in the new "Hydrogen Innovation of the Year" category. The plant supplies the city with CO2-neutral electricity and heat. The hub's complex infrastructure covers all technical aspects and the economic framework conditions for building and operating corresponding hydrogen energy solution in future, the jury said.

The "SG 14-222 DD" offshore turbine by the Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy won the award for "Product Innovation of the Year". The turbine turns many small ideas into one big innovative leap and convinces with an output of up to 15 megawatts. Martin Gerhardt, Head of Platform and Portfolio Management for the Offshore Division at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, said: "We were able to increase the output by a quarter compared to the previous model, reduce the cost of electricity and at the same time can promise our customers the valued reliability of proven technology." A prototype of the turbine, which will provide energy for around 18,000 households, is currently being installed in Østerild, Denmark, he added.

The Stadtreinigung Hamburg won the "Project of the Year" category with its "Extended Heat Utilisation Waste Utilisation Borsigstraße" that aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 104,000 tonnes p.a. through the targeted cooling of flue gases and heat extraction. "By increasing the efficiency of our waste utilisation plant in Borsigstraße, we will feed a larger share of heat into Hamburg's heating network in future without the additional use of waste as fuel," said Rüdiger Siechau, Managing Director of Stadtreinigung.

Jan Wiemer, an electrical engineer with the Fraunhofer IEE (Energy Economics and Energy Systems Technology) and the University of Kassel won the award in the category "Student Thesis of the Year". As part of his master's thesis, Wiemer proved that a larger wind farm capacity can be connected to a heavily loaded section of the power grid by combining peak capping and overhead line monitoring. Prof. Dr. Olav Hohmeyer was honoured for his life's work. The scientist, a member of the UN Climate Council that shared Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, is currently advising the governments of Barbados and the Seychelles on the means of a fully renewable energy supply. Andreas Molitor won this year's journalist award for his report: "Es geht ums Ganze",  which focused on reviving Germany's solar industry and was published in the Brand Eins business magazine.

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