aream Press release

Europe is experiencing an extraordinary heatwave – with economic consequences. Forests are burning, harvests are being lost and rivers are becoming impassable. This is driving up the prices of goods. “It is becoming increasingly clear that climate protection is not only ecologically necessary, but also economically unavoidable”, comments Andreas Ehrbar, Chief Operating Officer of the aream Group.

Many nuclear power stations across Europe have been shut down due to a lack of cooling water. Hungary is temporarily losing half of its electricity generation as a result of the outage at the Paks nuclear power station. This is not an operational accident. It is the consequence of an energy system that relies on a small number of large power stations, thereby creating a concentration of risk. The dry summer has laid this risk bare. And yet such hot months are set to become more common rather than less so. – A commentary by Markus W. Voigt, Executive Chairman of the aream Group.

Artificial intelligence is still a stock market favourite – but the hopes pinned on it are now running into the trillions. However, data centres and the training of AI models require ever-increasing amounts of electricity. “Renewable energies therefore play a key role in the widespread adoption of this technology of the future”, comments Markus Voigt, Executive Chairman of the aream Group.

It is only a minor regulatory change, but it has the potential to significantly transform the market for green electricity and battery storage in Germany. “To maintain the stability of the electricity grid, grid operators pay power stations and storage facilities to keep reserve capacity available at short notice. “Until now, anyone wishing to offer this reserve had to guarantee it for at least four hours at a time”, says Markus W. Voigt, Executive Chairman of the aream Group. “From autumn 2026, there will also be the option of guaranteeing it for just 15 minutes.” A minor technical change in the German balancing energy market is thus opening up a new business model for operators of solar parks with battery storage.