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| Renewable Energy Branch wants to invest 200 billion Euros in Germany |
| News Archive - Environmental, New & Alternative Energy - April news | |
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Berlin, March 20th 2006 – The renewable energy sector publishes an investment package with an amount of 200 billions Euros. The companies of the branch, all in all above 5000, want to invest this amount until 2020. “That is 15 times more than todays announced investments in new coal power plants – just to give an example”, said Johannes Lackmann, president of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) on a press conference in Berlin today. Alone in 2005 the renewable energy branch invested nearly 9 billions Euros in new generation capacity. “In 2010 we can yearly invest noticeable more than 12 billion Euros and from 2015 more than 14 billion Euros”, said Lackmann. “To have continuing steady basic conditions are therefore the most important prerequisite. The whole political energy concept must therefore base upon a resolute extension of renewable energies”, demands Lackmann with a view to the energy summit conference with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) at the beginning of April. The BEE bases its prognoses upon the goal to have more than 20% of energy consumption from renewable energies until 2020. This corresponds to the postulations of the European Parliament for the countries of the EU. “The investments will be more than profitable. Because they will save the German economy invariably more expensive and high hazard energy imports”, said Lackmann. Thus year for year oil, gas, coal and uranium amounting to 50 billion Euros are imported to Germany and the proportion is increasing. These resources are therefore one of the most expensive items on the list of all imports to Germany. “Without the renewable energies, the account of the foreign energy suppliers would have been 3 billion Euros higher just in 2005,” said Lackmann. Until 2020 the branch wants to help save yearly energy imports amounting to 20 billion Euros. Lackmann gained support from three leading branch representatives. Ph.D. (Dr.) Klaus Meier, executive chairman of the Bremer WPD AG, announced that his company plans onshore and offshore renewable energy projects with a volume of more than 3 billon Euros until 2020 – further 3 billion Euros shall be invested international. “We need a strong German onshore market for wind power. The large operators, which currently plan global projects, possess all a strong home market – for instance Spain and the USA”, said Meier. The WPD wants to invest 2.5 billion Euros in the extension of offshore wind power. But therefore are rational frameworks necessary, said Meier: “There are political guidelines for the offshore division not to build near the shore and in flat waters because of environmental considerations. But the recent economic basic conditions are not enough for the necessary starting shot for the first projects in the North and Baltic see. Here new initiatives are needed to ensure the leading position of the German wind industry in the offshore area.” Also the bio fuel industry has ambitious targets. That reveals Ph.D. (Dr.) Carlhans Uhle, CEO of CHOREN: “We intend to produce one million tons of sun fuel (SunDiesel) – also called BTL - yearly in Germany in the future. For that purpose five large scale plants, each with a yearly capacity of 200.000 tons, shall be build in Germany until 2014. The investment volume for this project amounts up to billions. Already in one year one plant, which is located in Saxon Freiberg, shall come on stream and produce yearly approximately 19 million litre synthesised bio fuel. It will be internationally the first one which produces synthesised bio fuel in industrial quantities. The worldwide so far unique plant to produce BTL is located in Freiberg as well. Also companies which were originally active in other segments rely now on renewable energies. For instance Bielefeld’s Schьco International KG, which became known as a supplier of window and facade – systems. “We have introduced a new production facility for thermal solar plants for several million euros”, said Thomas Lauritzen, company spokesman of the Schьco International KG. For the next years the company intends to invest annually 30-40 million Euros in the development and distribution of energy saving components and solar plants. “Our task is to make sure that we all can live and act in future as comfortable as we used to, but to consume much less energy than we do today”, said Lauritzen. To the objection that renewable energies are only available to a higher price for electricity, heat and fuels replies BEE president Lackmann decidedly: “The opposite is true. Renewable energies will be substantially cheaper in the long run, instead of the limited conventional energies.” This already becomes clear at the Leipziger Energy Exchange: One kilowatt hour base load electricity costs there today about 70 percent more than in the previous year. Whereas the compensation for electricity of wind-, solar-, and bio energy have declined about 2.5 percent on an average in the same time. Thus the price for wind power is more and more often below the price of electricity at the exchange. source:http://www.wwindea.org/default.htm |
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