Energie Aus Der Mitte (Germany)

Within the field of conflict between the conservation of natural resources and the production of food, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) remains subject of highly controversial discussions. On the one hand, genetic engineering allows the creation of high-yield or pest and pesticide-resistant plants and thus enables better production, even in areas with difficult agricultural conditions. On the other hand, the use of GMO in agriculture carries the risk of out crossing with natural sorts which could endanger biodiversity. Therefore, the attitude of consumers towards GMO is quiet critical—in China as well as in the European Union. This article deals with the legal system that Germany, the European Union, and China established to master this balance between the use of GMO and environmental and consumer protection within the margin set by international law.

Despite the accumulation of new know-how and experience, the fail-safe and definite detection and location of earth faults, especially with a fault resistance involved, in medium-voltage power networks remains an intensively researched and, to some extent, controversial topic. Although resonant neutral earthing is virtually omnipresent in Europe as a method of treating neutral points, several technical possibilities exist to detect and treat earth faults. So far, various methods have been applied in the MEAG (Germany) medium voltage power network, and opinion was divided as to which was the best and should be preserved for the future. To inject objectivity into the discussion, the earth-fault detection potential of several methods was tested in over 50 experiments during 1994 and 1995. The paper discusses the currently dominating methods and evaluates major findings from the tests conducted.