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Bremen backs river heat pumps, Uruguay searches for oil, Stockholm tests autonomous electric trucks.
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00:00When it gets really cold outside, we like to make ourselves cozy and warm at home.
00:15But where will the heat of the future come from?
00:18Which energy sources work without further damaging the climate?
00:21Heat pumps in private homes were supposed to be the norm across Germany, yet few people
00:26have them.
00:27Maybe things would work better if we thought on a much larger scale, and simply used entire
00:33rivers.
00:34We'll show you how it could work.
00:43Also on the program, Uruguay goes green, yet earns money from oil and gas.
00:50Electric vehicles challenge the skills of mechanics.
00:57And sweet treats from Hong Kong.
00:59Is this the future of baking?
01:02The Ãœberseeinsel in Bremen in northern Germany, once a bustling overseas port, is now one
01:19of Europe's largest construction sites.
01:22A model neighbourhood is taking shape.
01:25Can an urban district be built to run entirely on clean electricity and heat pumps?
01:35The concept comes from Klaus Meyer, who began with a single wind turbine.
01:40Today, his company WPD is Europe's largest wind farm operator.
01:52Now he's investing in new technology – large-scale heat pumps for a newly built district, financed
01:59entirely out of pocket.
02:03Some buildings are already standing, and the architectural model shows what's planned.
02:10Coming from the wind energy sector, I see heat differently.
02:16If we generate heat using electricity and heat pumps, it makes sense that we respond to the
02:21production conditions of solar and wind.
02:26The green electricity for the district's heat pumps is sourced affordably from the power
02:31exchange market.
02:33They also draw water from the Wieser River.
02:36River water is always warmer than the surrounding air – a clear advantage.
02:44Heat pump systems harness natural warmth from air, soil or water.
02:51The principle is always the same – a heat exchanger transfers this free heat to a refrigerant.
03:02Because the refrigerant has a very low boiling point, it evaporates.
03:07This vapour is compressed – that's the actual pumping.
03:14Its heat is then transferred to the heating system.
03:19If the water isn't warm enough, additional energy is needed.
03:23And to keep the cycle running, the pump itself requires electricity.
03:31This is what their river water heat pump looks like.
03:36It costs over 19 million euros.
03:40We heat our district using the Wieser.
03:47With four two-bundle heat exchangers, we extract three degrees Celsius from the river water and
03:53transfer that heat to the pumps.
03:55That's how we create sustainable heat for the entire district.
04:04These towers store hot water for the district.
04:07Eventually, they'll supply heating for bathrooms and radiators.
04:15This hotel is already connected.
04:18The former grain silos here were transformed into stylish rooms.
04:24The rooms start at 100 euros.
04:28They feature radiators powered by the heat pump – heating in winter, cooling in summer.
04:36The pump also supplies warm water for showers and can produce chilled water for cooling.
04:43We asked the hotel manager – how does the cost of river-sourced hot water compare to municipal heating?
04:54We're definitely below the national average for district heating prices, which is great for
05:01us.
05:02And we're not dependent on fossil fuels.
05:04Thanks to the sustainable energy, we're more or less self-sufficient.
05:10Many buildings in the old harbor area were once industrial halls, warehouses or offices.
05:17With a few modifications, they've become trendy spaces.
05:20But why is old concrete considered ecological?
05:25From an energy perspective, it makes sense to reuse concrete, which is very energy-intensive
05:30to produce.
05:31That's the idea behind architectural recycling.
05:34Where we still need concrete, though most of our buildings use wood, we use recycled concrete.
05:41The Ãœbersee Insel was once part of Bremen's overseas port, busy with ships and cargo.
05:48Today, Bremerhafen is the primary port.
05:51Around 1,600 apartments and 60,000 square metres of commercial space are now being built
05:57here, at an estimated cost of about 1 billion euros.
06:02There is some social housing, but most of the apartments are high-end rental and owner-occupied
06:08units.
06:09The area includes an air source heat pump, an ice rink and swimming pools with their
06:16own energy supply.
06:19Some of their waste heat is recycled into the existing heating system.
06:24We've added fun elements, too.
06:28We can show that an ice rink can be almost cost-neutral with heat pumps.
06:32It's the same with two swimming pools.
06:35These things wouldn't be possible here without heat pumps.
06:42Plans include a bike garage, a school and campus, high-rises built with wood, and a glass
06:49office building with plants in front of every window.
06:54Each building is unique, but all are well insulated against heat and cold.
07:01It's efficient because we now have extremely good building materials, even in glass.
07:07We use high-performance thermal insulation glazing with excellent insulation values.
07:15These panes insulate almost as well as a brick wall.
07:20And the large-scale heat pumps for this district are already being rolled out commercially.
07:25And entrepreneur Klaus Meyer has his sights set on the next lucrative market, supplying hot
07:31water for entire residential neighbourhoods.
07:34Many countries are trying to do without fossil fuels.
07:46They want to halt climate change and use natural resources.
07:52Within just a decade, Uruguay has almost freed itself from dependence on oil and gas.
07:58Renewable energy now covers most of its electricity supply.
08:03How did Uruguay do it?
08:04And why is it still allowing companies such as Chevron and Shell to extract oil and gas
08:09off its coast?
08:15This is how fierce the winds can get in Uruguay.
08:19Enough to rip its slack to pieces, enough to prevent you from getting into your car, and
08:25enough to supply the country's energy needs, along with hydropower, biomass and solar.
08:30Uruguay now runs on 98% renewables and has found a way to capitalize its green energy.
08:36A sharp turnaround for a small Latin American country that was reliant on gas and oil exports
08:41not too long ago.
08:43But if Uruguay is a leader in the clean energy transition, why is oil exploration happening
08:47off its coast?
08:49And can it be a model for other nations?
08:51Uruguay is now generating so much renewable energy, it often has more than it needs, providing
08:57it with a new revenue stream.
09:00Last year, Uruguay's state-owned power company, UTE, exported more than two gigawatt hours
09:05of surplus energy, generating nearly €90 million in revenue.
09:11Much of that surplus is exported to two of Uruguay's neighbors, Brazil and Argentina.
09:17And farmers like Santiago Revello are able to cash in too, by leasing their land to the
09:22state to build and operate wind farms.
09:25This field has very strong roots, both in terms of family, because it dates back to my grandparents'
09:30time, and because it's our economic lifeline, for my family, my sisters, my daughter and
09:36so on.
09:37For us, the wind power aspect has come to complement the economic aspect as a steady income.
09:45This provides farmers with a stable income stream and allow them to continue to cultivate land.
09:52Having a long-term strategy backed by the entire Uruguayan political system.
09:56This brings confidence, this brings continuity in the efforts, and this is the best for all
10:02stakeholders, private, for people, for consumers, for everybody.
10:08Uruguay state utility companies sought long-term 20-year bids from investors instead of short-term
10:14ones, as a way to ensure that prices would remain stable over the course of the contract.
10:19We find two kinds of people.
10:21People that say no, because I don't know what it is, I have something new, I don't want
10:26to risk my land for that.
10:29And other people, which really admire them, would say, well, there's something new, let's
10:34analyze that.
10:35Why not?
10:36Though Uruguay runs renewable, it isn't completely washing its hands of fossil fuels.
10:41It turns out it's interested in drilling for it too, indirectly at least.
10:46When oil and gas fields were found off Namibia's coast in 2022, Uruguay got curious.
10:52Its coast is geologically similar to Namibia's, and it started to think that maybe it had oil
10:57and gas too.
10:59Since then, Uruguay's state-owned energy company ANCAP has given out permits to explore
11:04for oil and gas in their territorial waters.
11:07The recipients?
11:09Shell, Chevron, the APA Corporation, the Isle of Man's CEG, and Argentina's YPF.
11:16So far, investment for oil exploration totals more than €135 million.
11:21But the irony of encouraging oil and gas drilling while being one of the handful of countries
11:26striving to go 100% green isn't lost on ANCAP.
11:30It states, ANCAP continues to explore for oil and natural gas while simultaneously leading
11:35the development of sustainable fuels.
11:38How?
11:38By benefiting from the revenues generated by these resources to invest in renewable energy,
11:44biofuels, and green hydrogen projects, further driving the energy transition.
11:51Exploratory drilling is scheduled to start in 2026 and is expected to last at least four
11:55years.
11:57Uruguay's transition makes it impressive.
11:59But it's not alone.
12:01It's one of the handful of countries that now runs almost entirely on renewable energy.
12:06In 2023, these countries generated at least 98% of their power grid with wind, solar and
12:13hydropower.
12:14You may be noticing they all have one thing in common.
12:17They're all pretty small in size.
12:19It's often the reason why people say an energy transition like Uruguay's can be done.
12:25But Uruguay has different energy needs from countries like Germany, which still imports
12:29coal to produce enough energy for its steel industry.
12:32But Uruguay also has a lot less resources than Germany.
12:36In 2008, before it underwent its energy transition, Uruguay's GDP was just under 27 billion euro.
12:43Germany's at the time was 3.2 trillion euro.
12:47And people are saying, oh, but you did it because it's a small country.
12:50I mean, believe me, being a small country in global south, everything is much, much, much
12:57more difficult.
12:58It's exactly the opposite.
12:59We have less financial capacities.
13:01We have less number of universities.
13:05We are only 2 million people.
13:06So imagine the amount of capacity that we can have.
13:11Last year, wind power made up 28% of Uruguay's power grid, while hydropower contributed to 42%.
13:18Sun made up 3%.
13:19The rest was biogas.
13:22In these cases, it seems the key word here is transition.
13:26to renewable energy requires funding, much of which is coming from fossil fuels right now.
13:31The truth is, Uruguay had some advantages.
13:34A small population, abundant wind and hydropower, and rare political consensus.
13:40Larger countries with higher demand face tougher challenges.
13:48Most importantly, alternative energy sources must be suitable for everyday use.
13:54And that also means we should be able to repair them.
13:57But that's not so easy.
13:59Many repair shops are not yet adequately equipped for electric cars.
14:05The technology is relatively new, and mechanics need special training and qualifications to
14:11be able to work safely and effectively on electric vehicles.
14:15Here there is definitely room for improvement.
14:20Driving through the countryside in a hybrid car, that's how Marvin Rathmann gets around
14:24in Brandenburg.
14:26The drone pilot travels 30,000 kilometers a year in this vehicle, which is powered both
14:31by petrol and electricity.
14:33But Rathmann has been stuck three times already when his car ran out of power.
14:38Finding a mechanic who knew their way around his car wasn't easy.
14:41When the car broke down, I had to call roadside assistance, but they couldn't figure out the
14:47issue.
14:48The mechanics didn't want to repair it and couldn't do it because they hadn't had any
14:52special training.
14:53I had to go to another garage to get another quote, which was in a high four-digit range.
15:00There are around 1.7 million electric vehicles and 3.6 million hybrid cars on German roads.
15:08Many garages turn away electric vehicles.
15:11The car mechanics often lack the expertise to handle high-voltage components.
15:16Those are the parts marked in orange.
15:19This mechanic is authorized to perform routine service work on electric vehicles.
15:24But he'd need special training to carry out repairs on high-voltage components.
15:31Euromaster has garages across the EU.
15:34Its employees can only repair combustion engines.
15:37But management is planning to gradually train more mechanics to work on electric vehicles.
15:47The costs involved are not insignificant.
15:51We are investing a high five-figure sum to prepare our network for EVs.
15:56That will continue to rise, also because the training costs for high-voltage are significant.
16:06Electric vehicle servicing is developing into a lucrative niche business, especially when
16:10the car manufacturer warranty has expired.
16:13High-voltage experts are turning that into a business.
16:17Otto Behrendt has many customers whose vehicles would land in the scrapyard if he didn't repair
16:22them.
16:23That's because replacing a defective EV battery can cost up to a third of the price
16:27of a new vehicle.
16:29That's because repairs aren't being carried out.
16:34Parts or entire systems are replaced.
16:37This can lead to total economic loss.
16:40And hence customers looking for alternatives often find their way to us.
16:48This battery block doesn't work.
16:51But only a few cells are defective.
16:53The workers at this special garage know how to find the fault.
16:57And instead of replacing the whole block, they'll replace only the defective cells.
17:02That saves a lot of money.
17:05To locate the defective battery cells, the team here had to develop its own tools and diagnosing
17:10devices because there are none on the market.
17:13This is the device used to locate faults in a battery.
17:17The team has to develop individual repair manuals for each model.
17:22Every new vehicle we take is completely new territory for us.
17:26The initial disassembly surely takes two to three times, as long as repairs after that.
17:31We can't make a profit the first time, but we hope to make money with any follow-up repairs
17:36which have a similar issue when we know exactly what to do.
17:41Electric vehicles are fairly new to the roads.
17:44The challenge of how to repair them cheaply remains.
17:48Electric cars and alternative drive systems are all well and good, but the next level is
18:00cars that can do without drivers entirely.
18:03They're already on the roads.
18:05Autonomously controlled cars like robot taxis in China.
18:09Order a cab, get taken from A to B. Everything is connected, everything automated, everything
18:16done without humans.
18:18Artificial intelligence makes it possible.
18:21In Sweden, trials are underway with a very large vehicle, which of course has no driver.
18:28This vehicle has a conspicuously dark windscreen and no driver behind it.
18:34Instead, the electrically powered truck has an array of cameras, radars and laser sensors
18:40that enable an AI to create a 3D view of the surroundings.
18:45The self-driving truck operates between two warehouses of online pharmacy Apportea outside Stockholm.
18:52It was designed by Swedish company Enride.
18:55The biggest opportunity we see is in medium to short distances with very repetitive flows.
19:02That means we go from factory to warehouse or warehouse to warehouse and high volume and
19:08a high level of repetitiveness.
19:11The truck's trips involve a brief section of public road.
19:15Another reason for a remote human operator still being needed.
19:19500 kilometres away in Gothenburg, Enride's control centre.
19:26The autonomous vehicles are monitored by backup drivers, with cameras relaying what the trucks
19:32are themselves seeing.
19:33When there are tricky spots approaching, the AI contacts its human partner.
19:38If we're coming to, I would say, a blind curve, the vehicle will come to a stop and will ask me if it's okay to move on.
19:49Although the AI only makes those queries due to official safety requirements,
19:53it could actually operate without human control and support, says the head of autonomous operations.
19:59Technology-wise, we don't have to do it. We can do full autonomous, disconnect the remote interface and let it run by itself.
20:08So that's something we're working really close with authorities to solve in the future.
20:14So how does the Swedish public feel about autonomous trucks on their roads?
20:19An on-the-spot survey reveals a degree of scepticism towards AI drivers.
20:24I think it's a bit scary.
20:26I don't think it's the safest idea maybe now.
20:30Perhaps in like a few years when they still develop it fully, then I will put more trust in.
20:35They say that it's safe, but I trust people more.
20:38I think it's scary personally. I would more trust like a human driver over AI.
20:44Is it on public roads? Not be afraid, but think about it. It's really good.
20:51The online pharmacy began using autonomous trucks in 2024.
20:55Ideally, the company would have the vehicles delivered directly to customers, not just between warehouses.
21:01But approval for that next step is still pending.
21:04It's cheaper, more efficient. They are electric.
21:08But also, we can deliver 24-7. I mean, a driver needs to sleep.
21:15They are sick or they need to have a vacation. But an autonomous truck can run all the time.
21:22The self-driving trucks are part of a broader automation strategy.
21:26Robots and other machines already handle 85% of the company's logistics flow and pack up to 100,000 parcels daily.
21:35A new warehouse in southern Sweden is already fully automated.
21:41We can also deliver much faster. And that's very important because our customers really want to have same-day deliveries, very fast deliveries.
21:51And together with automation inside the house and in-ride outside the house, we can deliver very fast.
22:00The port of Antwerp in the Netherlands is also embracing autonomous mobility for goods transport.
22:06And recently saw Enride showcasing its self-driving truck on a public road.
22:11The company is now hoping to take operations to the next level by securing a contract for autonomous container transport.
22:19The street stalls selling hot and hearty food have a long tradition in Asia.
22:30They're extremely popular with young and old alike.
22:33But sometimes you just have to have something sweet.
22:36Especially during the Moon Festival.
22:40This is celebrated every year in Hong Kong with the Fire Dragon Dance.
22:44And traditional Moon Cakes are a must.
22:47But customers are turning elsewhere.
22:50To boost demand again, some bakers are breaking new ground.
22:53For generations, this Hong Kong bakery has been making Moon Cakes, a traditional Chinese pastry that symbolizes unity and family.
23:08I try to keep the recipe as similar as my grandfather did.
23:14The pastry is eaten in Hong Kong and China during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time of thanksgiving and celebration of the Moon Goddess.
23:23Phoebe Wong has been buying her Moon Cakes here for years and reserved 10 boxes months in advance.
23:30That's over 400 euros worth of pastries.
23:33A gift for my family.
23:36I really like the Moon Cakes.
23:39It's delicious.
23:40But despite loyal customers like Phoebe, traditional Moon Cakes are no longer the money makers they used to be.
23:4730 or 40 years ago, they would cover the whole year business.
23:51But now, a lot of people concentrate on their diet.
23:55So they don't eat a lot now.
23:58So I think it's like one third of the year, maybe.
24:02For those who do still buy, tastes are changing.
24:06Demand has doubled this year for this high-end chocolate Moon Cake.
24:11Made in Hong Kong from ethically sourced ingredients, it has none of the hallmarks of a traditional Moon Cake.
24:17The flaky pastry, the chicken lard, and the egg in the middle.
24:23A difference that is also its appeal, according to the producers.
24:28You sometimes need to go to uncharted territory because if you stay too close to something else, all you are is not that thing.
24:37Premium Moon Cakes can be a bellwether for business sentiment across Hong Kong.
24:41Hong Kong's economy bounced back from a slump in 2022 and has shown steady growth ever since.
24:47The Moon Cake budgets have grown along with it.
24:50No matter if it's a good time or a challenging time, we would love to spend some money on it.
24:57It's just how much we are spending.
25:00The opulent Moon Cake gift sets are often used in international corporate giving, making them a growing source of soft power for China and Hong Kong.
25:11We can use Moon Cake, you know, to promote this culture.
25:15So I would think Moon Cake on mid-autumn will be bigger and bigger.
25:20While almost everyone celebrates the mid-autumn festival, it can look very different from household to household.
25:27According to official figures, almost a quarter of Hong Kong residents live below the poverty line.
25:34And yet Forbes ranks the territory third globally for number of billionaires.
25:39The two types of Moon Cakes represent two different worlds, poles apart, but in a single city.
25:49That's all for today from MADE.
25:51We talked about sweets from Hong Kong, heat from a German river,
25:55Uruguay's paradoxical energy policy, electric cars in the workshop, and driverless trucks.
26:02Bye-bye.
26:04Bye-bye.
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