Thursday, 29 October 2026

Fraunhofer IFAM is setting up a new wind-energy research infrastructure with USD 9.87 million, equivalent to EUR 8.85 million, in funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

The FOKUS-Wind project will build Germany's first end-to-end testing and validation chain for autonomous offshore wind systems, spanning the institute's sites in Bremen, Cuxhaven and Heligoland, Offshore Engineer OEDigital reported.

The infrastructure will let companies and research organizations develop, test and qualify drones, robotic systems and sensors under realistic operating conditions, according to the outlet.

FOKUS-Wind will initially run for four years.

Germany's Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said companies may return previously auctioned offshore wind farm sites if they pay a penalty to transmission system operators, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Financing costs have risen, some sea areas carry overcapacity, and revenue expectations have declined, making awarded projects harder for developers to deliver, the outlet reported.

The heads of eight of Germany's 16 states advocated a one-time, legally secure option to return projects and prompt retendering of the sites, according to Offshore Engineer OEDigital.

Karnataka plans to develop 1,000 MW of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic capacity integrated with a 2,000 MWh battery energy storage system, according to Construction World. The move comes as electricity demand rises and concerns over water availability intensify.

Separately, U-Solar Clean Energy is advancing a 20 MW ground-mounted open-access solar power project in Vijayapura, Karnataka, according to Electrical India. Commissioning of the project is targeted for September 2026.