Renewable energy Germany

Renewable energy is about 13% of the world s energy while fossil fuels make up 80% and nuclear power 7%. Wind power has become a major part of power generation in Europe, with 20 to 40% of power loads in parts of Germany, Denmark, and Spain. 

Ragwitz, M., Schleich, J., Huber, C. el al. (2004). FORRES 2020 - Analysis of the Renewable Energy s Evolution up to 2020. Draft Final Report of the Project FORRES 2020-on Behalf of the European Commission, DG TREN Co-ordinated by FhG-lSl with Contribution from EEG, Ecofys, Kema and REC. Karlsruhe, Germany. 

Ragwitz, M. and Resch, G. (2006). Economic Analysis of Reaching a 20% Share of Renewable Energy Sources in 2020. Karlsruhe, Germany. 

Raballo, S. and LLera, J. (2004). Large scale wind hydrogen production in Argentine Patagonia. International Conference for Renewable Energies, 1-4 June 2004, Bonn, Germany. Buenos Aires C.A.P.S.A. - Capex S.A. Group. 

This global effort is expected to continue over the next years as major countries have planned multiannual investment. This includes 1.7 billion over 5 years in the United States up to 2 billion, including renewable energy, in the 6 Framework Program of the European Union more than 30 billion a year in Japan and multi-annual programs in place in other countries such as Canada, Germany, Italy. 

To highlight the company s newfound interest, GE recently opened a laboratory on the campus of the Technical University of Munich, Germany that focuses almost entirely on alternative and renewable energy, including hydrogen, fuel cell, wind and solar energy. The 52 million facility employs approximately 150 scientists. ... 

In Europe, the highest amount of government support for household renewable energy installations is paid in Germany, whereas in the United States, state support of solar installations is the highest in California about... 

As is the case with wind energy, solar power has most traction in countries such as Germany, Spain, Cyprus and Japan, all of which offer incentives to improve the uptake of renewable energy sources as part of their implementation of a diversified energy policy. In Cyprus, more than 50 percent of hotels and 90 percent of homes have solar water heating.21 As Figure 10 illustrates, such policies enabled Japan to develop a healthy lead in this industry, producing nearly half of the PV cells manufactured. 

A recent article in Solar Today on Germany s renewable energy policies reported that the German government is moving toward increasing the country s use of renewable energy, perhaps by up to 50 percent by 2050. The drivers behind this development are the risks associated with... 

German policymakers see the next 15 years as make or break years for the transition to renewable energy and have concluded that near-term efforts to support this transition are needed. Ten years ago, Germany had no wind power today, wind as a power source constitutes more than 6 percent of Germany s power-generation mix. This development occurred through a combination of political will, citizen involvement, scientific analysis, and an economic strategy that reflected the associated risks and allowed for market-based investment decisions. 

Lauritsen, A., Svendsen, T., Sorensen, B. (1996). A study of the integration of wind energy into the national energy systems of Denmark, Wales and Germany as illustrations of success stories for renewable energy. Wind Power in Denmark, EC project report RENA.CT94-0012 (106 pp). IMFUFA, Roskilde University. 

Solar PV is believed to be on the edge of a trillion dollar market. Many oil companies are diversifying into renewables with optimistic expectations. Shell now manufactures PV cells in Germany and the Netherlands and predicts by 2050, that half the world could be powered by renewable energy. BP Amoco and Shell have been installing PV cells in some of its filling stations. BP Amoco believes that by 2050 all Europe s power could be met by solar energy. 

In 1994, the Enquete Commission Protection of the Earth Atmosphere has recommended to achieve an energy mix in Germany by the year 2050 with a 25 % share only from fossil fuels and another 25 % share from renewable energies and 50 % from nuclear power or imported energy. 

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