Electricity Price Cap for Heat Pumps
Heat pump operators in Germany have faced a quandary in recent times. While the government is encouraging the use of heat pumps for greater energy efficiency, the electricity price brake has made it less financially appealing. To address this, the government has decided to cap the price for electric heating and heat pumps at 28 cents per kilowatt hour for some consumption levels. This cap will also extend to charging electric vehicles at home to promote electromobility.
DDoS Attacks on Official Websites
Several official websites of federal states have been targeted by Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in recent days. The attacks exploit vulnerabilities in IT infrastructures in order to overload systems and cause a collapse. The Federal Office for Information Security has been informed of the attacks, but it is unclear who is responsible. Police unions have urged state and federal police forces to have a strong protective shield against cyber attacks, which will require sufficient funding to attract IT specialists.
Wind Industry to Expand Workforce
The wind industry in Germany will require additional workers to meet the demand for renewable energy expansion. The Federal Wind Energy Association’s Managing Director, Wolfram Axthelm, has predicted that tens of thousands of workers will be required to double the current wind power capacity by 2030. However, companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers and the aftermath of previous layoffs due to the slow expansion of wind energy.
Wangen Switches Off WLAN at Night
The town of Wangen in Upper Swabia has decided to switch off public WiFi from 11pm to 5am daily. The town’s decision was made due to concerns that the signal from the WLAN may disturb residents’ sleep. This decision was supported by the Alliance for Responsible Mobile Communications. However, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection has stated that WiFi signals from routers are safe according to available scientific knowledge. The temporary shutdown only affects hotspots in the old town, while WiFi in other locations such as refugee homes will remain available.
