September, 2004 - Nr. 9
Renewable energy sources top ten percent
TWIG - In the first half of 2004, renewable energy sources accounted for more than 10% of all energy used in Germany, the German Environment Ministry announced on Tuesday (August 17). The announcement marks the first time that sources such as wind and solar energy amounted to more than one tenth of total energy production in the country.
The share of renewable energies used in Germany is up from 7.9% last year, when an unusually dry summer led to increased energy demand a greater reliance on more traditional sources.
The German government credited its increasing support of renewable energy, especially wind power, for helping renewable energies to reach the new levels. In the six months to June, energy from wind power grew to more than 54% of all domestic renewable energy sources.
Germany’s ruling coalition heavily subsidizes wind power, increasingly viewed as a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to natural gas and coal. According to Environment Minister Juergen Trittin, energy derived from wind power will compose as much as a quarter of the energy produced in Germany by the year 2020.
The announcement came after the country’s recent hosting of "Renewables 2004," an international conference declared a "complete success" by Trittin and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.
The conference, held in Bonn, ended with a declaration that calls for providing one billion people worldwide with access to energy from renewable sources by the year 2015.
In addition to 165 concrete projects to further renewable
energies, conference delegates pledged billions in investment dollars to be
used to develop wind, solar, biomass, and earth heat energies.
Republished with permission from "The Week in Germany"
