Power generation in the future

The German Federal Government has initiated a new energy policy. It now envisages that renewable energies will supply at least 35 percent of the country's energy needs by the year 2022: which means there will have to an increase in the output of solar power, wind power, biomass, geothermal and hydropower. As a consequence, not only will the composition of the energy mix change but so will its generation: in the coming years it will no longer just be large power stations that generate power, but increasingly farmers, business and private people – through the use of wind turbines, photovoltaic systems and cogeneration units in the cellar and by other means. It is possible to integrate small wind energy and photovoltaic systems into the building's architecture. The "sun and wind" represent two climate-friendly energy sources available to users in urban environments – directly above their heads as it were. This form of energy recovery is both directly visible and appreciable. First class industrial components are indispensable to ensure regenerative power generation solutions remain fully operational at all times. Amongst others these components include current and voltage converter terminals, male and female connectors, relay modules, Ethernet modules and connectors including cables, lightning and surge protection, PCB connection components; for photovoltaic systems there are installation components, combiner boxes and inverters as well as components and systems to continuously monitor their performance. In addition, Weidmüller works closely with its customers to create and implement application-specific solutions.

Compact, decentralized systems in urban environments represent an interesting possibility for generating power in the future.