© fotolia / Knipserin

This month in ‘What the press say’:

The tallest wind turbine in the world is in the German region of Lusatia, a world record push for balcony power plants in Freiburg, and optimised heat pumps for process heat, local and district heating.

rbb24.de, 8 October 2025: “365 metres: tallest wind turbine of the world at full height” (in German)

rbb reports that the tallest wind turbine of the world has been finally erected in Lusatia in the Brandenburg town of Schipkau, topping out at 365 metres tall. With a hub height of 300 metres, the installation is the tallest wind energy edifice in the world and at the same time is the second-tallest structure in Germany.

energiezukunft.eu, 5 October 2026: Small DIY power plants (in German)

energiezukunft.eu reports on the solar upcycling world record campaign organised by the Freiburg “Balkon.Solar” association. The group provided 300 free small solar installations to residents. The only catch: they had to assemble them themselves.

erneuerbareenergien.de, 28 October 2026: Fraunhofer ISE optimises heat pumps for process heat and local and district heating (in German)

The researchers developed plans for optimal design and operation of large-scale heat pumps using a test stand and comprehensive monitoring data. According to the online portal “Erneuerbare Energien”, their aim is to decarbonise industry processes and heating grids.