Methodology: How Repowering Hub Creates Content
In short: Only what can be substantiated makes it onto Repowering Hub. Every figure, every threshold value, every funding amount is checked against a citable primary source (law, public authority, research institution, industry association) before it is published. This page explains how that is ensured at an organisational level.
1. Source hierarchy
We weight sources in this order:
- Primary sources (laws, regulations, administrative provisions): gesetze-im-internet.de, eur-lex.europa.eu, regulatory texts (BImSchG (Federal Immission Control Act), EEG (Renewable Energy Sources Act), BNatSchG (Federal Nature Conservation Act), WaLG (Onshore Wind Energy Act), BauGB (Building Code), …).
- Federal and state authorities: Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency, BNetzA), Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency, UBA), BMWK (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action), LANUV, LAI guidelines, state environmental agencies.
- Research and standardisation bodies: Fraunhofer ISE/IWES, DIN/VDI, DWD (German Meteorological Service), FGW.
- Industry associations: Bundesverband WindEnergie (German Wind Energy Association, BWE), VDMA Power Systems, BSW-Solar, BWP.
- Established trade press / market reports: Clean Energy Wire, pv-magazine, Carbon Brief, Mordor Intelligence — as secondary sources, linked back to the primary source wherever possible.
Unsubstantiated claims are not published — not even as "common knowledge".
2. Three-stage review before publication
| Stage | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Fact gate | every figure/claim/rule must have a source (a fact-ledger entry with name, URL, year) |
| Technical review | plausible context, no blanket "always/never" statements; areas of dispute are flagged as such |
| Readability | plain language, no marketing speak, no exaggeration — we name trade-offs honestly |
An article only goes public after passing all three stages.
3. Updates
- Every article carries an as-of date. Content on funding, laws and market figures is updated periodically.
- When a law or a funding amount changes, the affected article is revised within a few weeks and the update date is adjusted.
- For major corrections we note this transparently at the start of the article.
4. Calculators & tools
Our calculators provide preliminary estimates, not expert reports. The underlying formulas and assumptions are named in each tool (e.g. Seifert for ice throw, Frandsen for turbulence, IEC turbine classes for full-load hours). Each tool points out that it does not replace a qualified expert. Specific projects belong in the hands of qualified engineering firms — we can arrange a referral on request.
5. Advertising, affiliate, referral
- Affiliate and referral links are labelled "advertising" directly at the link (UWG (Unfair Competition Act) § 5a). We only link to what we can verify on technical grounds.
- Paid content is marked as such.
- Recommendations are not reach-driven: a provider with a higher commission does not get better placement than a better-fitting provider with no commission.
6. Lead referral to engineering firms & specialist contractors
- Enquiries are only forwarded if the user expressly consents to forwarding to specifically named partners.
- The consent is logged.
- We only take on partners whose technical suitability we were able to verify.
7. Artificial intelligence
Content is created with tool support, then editorially reviewed and approved. We do not use AI to generate unverified claims — all facts pass through the fact gate. In doing so we follow Google's line: not "how" the content was created, but "whether" it is useful, original and verifiable for people.
8. Report an error
If you spot an error or a source is out of date, write to us via Contact. We review every report and correct legitimate criticism quickly and visibly.