BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will visit a pilot project for sustainable heat generation in Berlin apartment buildings this Monday (9.30 a.m.). The project is being carried out by the real estate group Vonovia and the Berlin start-up Decarbon1ze. Surplus energy from renewable sources is used to heat the buildings via so-called auxiliary electricity heating systems.

According to Vonovia, these auxiliary electric heaters are heating elements that are installed in the hot water tanks of the buildings like immersion heaters. Instead of gas, they are powered by electricity from wind energy, which would otherwise be curtailed due to overcapacity. The eastern German transmission system operator 50Hertz is also involved in the project./maa/DP/nas