From record wind turbines to hydrogen innovations

EEHH Cluster Agency presented the German Renewables Award for the 10th time

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59 candidates in six categories – the German Renewables Award set new records with its anniversary event on 11 November 2021. For the tenth time, the expert judging panel, consisting of eight experts from the renewable energy sector, selected winners whose innovations and achievements are helping to drive the energy transition. 

Product innovation of the year

The new Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbine turns many small ideas into one big and innovative step forward and won the German Renewables Award in the ‘Product innovation of the year’ category. These include not only the record length of the rotor blades and the up to 15 MW output, but also the combination of innovations in production, high availability, digitalisation and the latest control technology. A single wind turbine supplies energy for 18,000 European households. 

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Project of the year

Stadtreinigung Hamburg’s winning project, “Extended Heat Utilisation Müllverwertung Borsigstraße”, in the “Project of the year” category uses the targeted cooling of flue gases to improve heat recovery. Depending on demand, the MVB will feed directly into the district heating network or make the generated steam available to the Hamburg-Tiefstack combined heat and power station. After completion of both construction phases, the total reduction in CO2 emissions will be 104,000 tonnes per year. 

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Hydrogen innovation of the year

The regional hydrogen hub built by the APEX Group in Rostock-Laage provides complex infrastructure, covering all technical aspects as well as the economic framework conditions for the future development and operation of corresponding hydrogen energy solutions. The jury acknowledged this achievement with the new German Renewables Award in the “Hydrogen innovation of the year” category.  

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Student thesis of the year

Jan Wiemer from Fraunhofer IEE and the University of Kassel won the award in the ‘Student thesis of the year’ category with his study on “Interactions between peak capping and overhead line monitoring in grid planning and grid operation management”. As part of his Master’s thesis, he developed a method that enabled the two optimisation measures to be combined for the first time, thereby proving that a larger wind farm capacity could be connected to a heavily utilised section of the electricity grid.

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Project of the Year: Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Siechau, Kay Goetze, both: Stadtreinigung HH, Laudator Dr. Ursula Prall

Student work of the year: Jan Wiemer, University of Kassel, laudator Rüdiger Theophil

Lifetime achievement award 

“In the last fifty years, I have learnt that it often helps matters if you do not strive for your own success and take a step back as a person. I am very pleased that my work has been recognised by the German Renewables Award this year and consider the award as recognition for all my fellow campaigners who have brought about this incredible change. They all deserved this award just as much as me. The award encourages me to redouble my efforts for a 100% renewable energy supply in all parts of the world, so that together we can achieve this goal before 2050,” says Prof Olav Hohmeyer, award winner in the “Lifetime achievement” category.

Prof Hohmeyer started his career in 1982 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research in Karlsruhe. From 1994 to June 1998, he was Head of Research for the Department of Environmental and Resource Economics at the Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim. He has been Chair of Energy and Resource Economics at the University of Flensburg since July 1998. From 1996 to 2011, Prof Hohmeyer was Lead Author for the IPCC. The scientist advises the governments of Barbados and the Seychelles on the possibilities of a 100% renewable electricity supply. He was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize as a member of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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Journalist prize

When the last solar module manufactured in Germany rolled off the production line in Saxony in 2018, it was the final chapter in the decline of a once flourishing industry. But the German solar industry is now enjoying a new lease of life, writes Andreas Molitor in his report for the business magazine “brand eins”. Molitor named his piece “It’s do or die”, which impressed the jury with its punchy language style and classic, journalistic dramaturgy.

Journalist Award: Andreas Molitor, "brand eins

Outlook
Preview of the year 2022
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