Germany targets 27% renewable energy by 2020

[rollingrock]

current leader in renewable energy use.

Germany is the world's first major renewable-energy economy. <1>

The share of electricity from renewable energy in Germany has increased from 6.3 percent in 2000 to about 15 percent in 2008. More than 9 billion euros (US$11.31 billion) was invested in new renewable energy installations in Germany in 2006. Some 214,000 people in Germany were employed in the renewable energy sector in 2006, especially in small and medium sized companies. Over half of these jobs are attributed to the Renewable Energy Sources Act.<2><3>
Contents


* 1 Renewable energy targets
* 2 Policy
* 3 Wind power
* 4 Photovoltaic solar power
* 5 Geothermal industry
* 6 Hydroelectricity
* 7 Renewable energy industry
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

Renewable energy targets

Since 1997, Germany and the other states of the European Union have been working towards a target of 12% renewable energy electricity by 2010. This target was surpassed already in 2007 when the renewable energy share in electricity consumption in Germany reached 14%.<4> On April 26, 2007, Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel announced that this target would rise to 27% by 2020. Electricity use is to be cut by 11%, and the number of cogeneration plants is to double.<5>
Policy

The renewable energy sector benefited when the Alliance '90/The Greens party joined the Federal Government between 1998 and 2005. The renewable energy sector was aided especially by the law that required businesses to buy energy generated from renewable sources first before buying energy from non-renewable sources. People who produce energy in their own homes have a guarantee by the government that they can sell their 'product' at fixed prices for a period of 20 years. This has created a surge in the production of clean energy.

For the 2005-2010 period the Federal Government set aside nearly 800 million euros for scientific research in the country. That research is going to be earmarked for policies of long-lasting development.

Additionally, in 2001 a law passed requiring the closing of all nuclear power plants within a period of 32 years. The idea is that in 2020 nuclear energy will not be used anywhere in the country. However, this policy is likely to be reverted or its implementation postponed.<6>

The German energy policy is framed within the European Union, and the March 2007 European Council in Brussels approved a mandatory energy plan that requires a 20% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions before the year 2020 and the consumption of renewable energies to be 20% of total EU consumption (compared to 7% in 2006)<7>. The accord indirectly acknowledged the role of nuclear energy -- which is not renewable, but emissions-free -- in the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gasses, allowing each member state to decide whether or not to use nuclear generated electricity.

Also a compromise was reached to achieve a minimum quota of 10% Biofuels in the total consumption of gasoline and diesel in transport in 2020.

See also: Nuclear energy policy, Berlin Declaration (2007), Common Foreign and Security

Policy
Wind power
Erection of an Enercon E70-4 in Germany

See main article: Wind power in Germany

Closely after the USA, Germany is the world's second largest user of wind power with an installed capacity of 23,903 MW by the end of 2008 <8>, ahead of Spain which had an installed capacity of 16,740 MW.<9> 20,301 wind turbines are located in the German federal area and the country has plans to build more wind turbines.<10>

Wind power currently produces about seven percent of Germany's total power and it is said that no other country has more technological know-how in this area. Wind power in Germany provides over 70,000 people with jobs and German wind energy systems are also exported.<10>

However, the economics of wind power in Germany are under close scrutiny<11> and there are other issues which deserve consideration. These include the effect of wind turbines on the landscape, the effect on the bird population, and the effect on the tourist industry.<10>
Photovoltaic solar power
See also: Solar power in Germany

At the end of 2007 Germany had an installed capacity of 3,830 MW. The European Commission anticipates that Germany may have installed around 4,500 MWp by 2010.<12>. In 2007, the German PV industry generated over 40,000 jobs in production, distribution and installation.<13> Over 90% of solar PV installations are in grid-tied applications in Germany.

Completed in 2006, the 12 MW Solarpark Gut Erlasee photovoltaic system, near Arnstein in Bavaria, was, at the time of construction, the world's largest PV system.<14>. The Waldpolenz Solar Park, which is the world’s largest thin-film photovoltaic (PV) power system, became fully operational by the end of 2008. The power plant is a 40 MW solar power system using state-of-the-art thin film technology. <15>
Geothermal industry

The installed capacity for geothermal energy in Germany was of 8.4 MW in 2007. <16>
Hydroelectricity

The total installed capacity in Germany at the end of 2006 was 4.7 GW. Hydropower meets 3.5% of the electricity demand. Latest estimates show that in Germany in 2007 approx. 9,400 people were employed in the hydropower sector which generated a total turnover of €1.23 billion. <17>
Renewable energy industry
Enercon E-112

Germany's renewable energy sector is among the most innovative and successful worldwide. Nordex, Repower, Fuhrländer and Enercon are wind power companies based in Germany. SolarWorld, Q-Cells and Conergy are solar power companies based in Germany. These companies dominate the world market. Every third solar panel and every second wind rotor is made in Germany, and German turbines and generators used in hydro energy generation are among the most popular worldwide.<18>

Nearly 800,000 people work in the German environment technology sector; an estimated 214,000 people work with renewables in Germany, up from 157,000 in 2004, an increase of 36 percent.<18>

Germany's main competitors in solar electricity are Japan, the US and China. In the wind industry it is Denmark, Spain and the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_Germany

[NYC_SKP]

1. California Looking for 33% by 2020.

We didn't make a 2002 goal of 20% by 2010, but we have new legislation that's even more ambitious.

On November 17, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08 requiring that California utilities reach the 33% renewables goal by 2020.

http://www.energy.ca.gov/renewables/index.html

Link to Exectuive Order S-14-08: http://www.gov.ca.gov/executive-order/11072/

:patriot:

[rollingrock]

2. That's good, but CA is not a country nt

[joshcryer]

3. 8th largest GDP in the world if you compare by states:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_between_U.S._states_and_countries_nominal_GDP

Yes wikipedia is crazy for actually having this... heh.