By John C.K. Daly
Germany is
already the world's strongest photovoltaic market and also
accounts for Europe's largest share of installed wind
capacity. Moving resolutely into the field of renewable
energy, by 2020, renewable energy sources are expected to
account for 35 percent of Germany's energy output, soaring
to 80 percent by 2050. Germany now produces 20 percent of
its electricity from renewable energy sources, now, up from
just 6 percent in 2000. The effort is in turn creating
thousands of jobs and new industries.
Industry expert
Tobias Homann observed, "With the decision to abandon
nuclear power earlier this year, it was clear that the road
ahead would be challenging. But Germany is in a very
promising position to be the first industrialized country to
rely entirely on renewable energy."
One of the current
major shortfalls of the renewable energy market is its
inability to store generated energy but Germany is working
on this dilemma, focusing on the development of battery and
smart grid technology.
According to Germany Trade & Invest
CEO Jurgen Friedrich, "Germany has established the ideal
prerequisites for the rapid development of the energy
storage industry. The unique combination of renewable energy
generation, innovation and implementation through such
projects makes Germany an optimal location for companies
looking to enter this budding industry."
Germany is also
assiduously pursuing improving solar technology. Germany's
photovoltaic installations and solar facilities recently
surpassed hydropower in Germany's total energy generation
matrix.
In the area of offshore wind power generation,
Germany projects 4,000 turbines off its Baltic coast
producing electricity by 2030. Germany's northeastern
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state on the Baltic will produce 100
percent of its electricity from renewables by 2015-2017, and
then export the excess to other German states.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern premier Erwin Selling told reporters,
"Renewable energy has become extremely valuable for our
state. It's just a great opportunity - producing renewable
energy and creating manufacturing jobs.
 |
| A wind tower near Dortmund, Germany |
more about energy:
No comments:
Post a Comment