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January 28, 2010
In Germany, 21,100 wind turbines are spinning. Thanks to government support, the German wind energy sector is soaring despite the economic downturn. In 2010 the electric capacity is expected to grow by 20 percent as compared to last year, according to the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) in Berlin.
In 2009, 1,000 new wind turbines were installed, a 15 percent increase in new construction. The number of employees in the sector is also growing. According to BWE President Hermann Albers, a record 100,000 people are employed in the sector. The new wind turbines installed in 2009 can deliver the electricity equal to that of three coal-fired power plants.
The industry’s growth comes in light of improved investment conditions resulting from the “Renewable Energy Law” (EEG) which came into effect in 2009. For the first time, wind turbines are also being built on the high seas, making the overall optimism in the wind industry very high.
The new framework conditions to be implemented in 2011 and 2012 are expected by industry experts at the BWE to bring additional impulse to the sector. The EEG guarantees wind energy producers purchase prices which are mostly above market price. As is the case with solar electricity, the difference is paid by energy consumers.
Export causes industry boom
Wind is the most popular renewable energy choice in Germany, providing around seven percent of the electricity consumption. More grids must be built to transport the energy in the future, especially from the north to the rest of the country.
The international wind energy market grew over 20 percent last year, strengthening Germany’s wind turbine production, of which 80 percent goes abroad. The wind energy sector also received a boost from the economic stimulus package launched in the US. India is also a growing wind energy market where the German giant Siemens has set up a production facility. Germany’s largest market for wind turbine technology remains, however, China, which doubled its capacity in 2009 alone.
Every fourth wind turbine worldwide originates with German production. Every fifth wind turbine worldwide comes from Germany.
| © Young Germany, German Information Centre New Delhi |
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