Editorial - VGB PowerTech Journal 1-2/2017

Topics 2017

With this issue, VGB PowerTech is starting in certainly interesting and challenging new year for our energy industry.

The “fourth industrial” revolution is becoming increasingly important for companies to develop suitable solutions for their business. Digitalisation is one main keyword. The aim to reduce the emissions of climate relevant gases puts pressure on fossil energy use. Decarbonisation is the keyword. There are more and more electricity generating facilities – e.g. in Germany only 15 years ago about 1,100 power plants with high capacities provided the consumers and secured the around-the-clock power supply. Today, there are more than 1.5 millions installations in the range of some hundred watts to about 1,400 megawatt. Decentralisation is a further keyword.

At the end of 2016 the European Commission released the long-awaited “Clean Energy Package”, also known as “Winter Package”. The package aims at a better engaging consumers in the energy transition through a raft of new legislative proposals and initiatives covering retail and wholesale market functioning, European Union governance, renewable energy and energy efficiency. The paper clearly underpins market integration and the removal of some regulatory interventions which distort the functioning of the market. Finally, the “Clean Energy Package” is a further piece of the puzzle leading to the Energy Union. Therefore consistency in energy policies and market regulations should be assured across the member states. The proposal has the potential to help national policies and measures converge closer and quicker around the adopted 2030 climate and energy targets with the vision of the Energy Union.

On the other hand, the electricity market and the power generation industry in Europe are still experiencing radical transformation. Corporate structures are changing. Renewables and conventional generation are having to grow together. An uncertain legal framework and a market situation burdened and inhibited by regulatory intervention – as expressed in the “Winter Package” – impede urgently required investments in our energy supply after 2020. The situation is affecting all our sources for electricity production, renewables as also classic conventional.

But despite these challenges, we are aware of our responsibilty for a reliable and secure energy supply. It is the aim of the electricity supplying industry to guarantee the safe, reliable and cost-effective supply of electricity, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. When looking at the crucial requirements for electricity supply – i.e. safety, reliability and cost-effectiveness – it is important to remember that electricity has first of all to be produced and, where appropriate, to be suitable stored before it can be distributed to the consumers.

This is the main area of focus of the VGB PowerTech association and its magazine with the same name – technology.

In the current year, the VGB PowerTech magazine will hopefully deal with various topics of its readers. Some main topics are:

  • Renewables: Hydro power, biomass, on- and off-shore wind power, solar-thermal power plants, geothermal generation
  • Storage technologies
  • Electrical engineering, instrumentation and control, information technology, control room technology
  • Gas and steam turbines, combined power and heat generation
  • Chemistry in power plants
  • Materials
  • Training

However, this is an excerpt of our topics, we will cover. Please refer to the complete list at www.vgb.org | Publications.

We hope and are convinced, that the articles written by renowned authors from will contribute to the business of our readers and to the previously mentioned objectives: a safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity supply.

If you, dear reader, have any suggestions for articles or topics to be covered, or if you like to contribute with an article to the success of our business, please do not hesitate to contact us.