Renewable energy now accounts for over 9% of the total energy consumed in Germany, supplying 15.1%of the power consumption, 7.4% of the energy used for heating and 5.9% of fuel. Although wind power accounts for the largest share of renewable power production, biomass is of growing importance in this segment. With a share of 22.1% of the ecological power production, biomass has almost caught up to hydropower that is levelled off at 23.0%. Biomass also dominates among renewable energies used for heating with a share of over 90%.
With its Integrated Energy and Climate Protection Programme (Integriertes Energie- und Klimaschutzprogramm – IEKP) that was adopted in August 2007, the German government set the course for these developments. IEKP includes a series of measures that aim to promote the use of renewable energy and the implementation of more energy-efficient technologies. The government amended the Renewable Energy Sources Act and also passed the Renewable Energies Heat Act in 2009, which envisages the use of renewable energy for heating. In addition, the federal government is also supporting the energy-focused refurbishment of buildings. In order to speed up the construction of new, more efficient power plants, the German government has also changed the Law on Combined Heat and Power Generation.
Wind Power exceeds 25 GW
As a result of the amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act in 2009, it is expected that around 2,000 MW of newly installed wind power production capacity – more than 300 MW more than in the two previous years – will be added during 2009.
The German wind industry is also showing progress out at sea. The first generators have already been installed in the offshore testing area Alpha Ventus and 100 MW of offshore wind capacity are expected to be installed by the end of the year.
Wind power still leads among renewable energy sources in Germany. At the end of September, the Minister for the Environment, Sigmar Gabriel, inaugurated the Ochsenfurt-Erlach wind farm near Wuerzburg, taking total installed power generation capacity for wind-based power in Germany to over 25,000 MW.
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