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BERLIN, Germany, November 23, 2005 (Refocus
Weekly)
Consumption of renewable energies in Germany last
year avoided the emission of 70 megatonne of CO2, according to a
status report on its targets for 2010.
Green power facilities generated 55,826 GWh in 2004, reducing CO2
emissions by 52.2 Mt, it details in a report to the European
Parliament. Green heat provided another 63,937 GWh with annual
reductions of 15 Mt, with total national output of 131 GWh.
Germany uses an emission factor of 934.5 g of CO2 reduction for
every kWh of power from renewables, and 228.5 g for every kWh from
green heat, for a combined factor of 351.2 g/kWh when biofuels are
included.
In addition to the 52 Mt of CO2 avoided, Germany also says its use
of green power displaced the emission of 28,700 tonnes of SO2,
32,900 tonnes of NOx, 16,700 tones of CO and 700 tonnes of
non-methane volatile organic compounds.
A key policy objective of the Germany government is to “achieve a
sustainable energy supply” and to safeguard energy supply of future
generations “while making allowance for both ecological objectives
and economic growth,” it explains in the preamble of the report. “A
core component of this strategy entails significantly increasing the
proportion of energy supply from renewable energies so as to protect
finite energy resources and safeguard the interests of environmental
and climate protection.”
The legislation to promote renewables (EEG) sets a target of 12.5%
of electricity from renewables by 2010 and 20% by 2020, after which
the targets will be “substantially upgraded.” By 2010, renewables
are expected to provide 4.2% of total energy and half of all energy
consumption by 2050.
“The federal government is keen that renewable energies should
become competitive in the internal energy market in the medium to
long term,” it explains. “Renewable energy sources will only be able
to play a permanent supporting role in the energy market when they
are able to assert themselves on the market without the aid of
financial support.”
Last year, the EEG was “comprehensively updated for the first time”
with amendments to improve incentives for energy efficiency and
technical innovations to renewable energy plants, create better
supply conditions for the use of biomass and geothermal, adjust fees
for wind and significantly increase rates for solar to compensate
for the end of the 100,000 roofs program, and to make enforcement of
the law easier.
“The EEG has effected a significant increase in the use of renewable
energy sources to generate electricity, by offering guaranteed fee
rates secured over a period of many years,” with a particular focus
on wind which now generates more electricity than hydro in the
country. “The growth in renewable energies is a major factor in
reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in Germany by 21% during the
first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.”
The share of gross power consumption from renewables has increased
from 4.7% in 1998 to 6.7% in 2000, to 9.3% last year, with wind
accounting for 44.8% of that total, hydro 37.6% and biomass 16.8%.
In late 2003, Germany generated power from geothermal for the first
time and additional sites are being developed to expand the
production capacity.
“Of all the renewable forms of energy, windpower, particularly
offshore windfarms, has the greatest medium-term potential for
expansion for the electricity sector in Germany,” the report
concludes. Germany is home to one-third of the installed wind
capacity in the world and half of the capacity in the EU, with 2,037
MW of turbines installed last year. By the end of 2004, there were
16,543 turbines with capacity of 16,629 MW, but “there are signs of
a downward trend in the installation of new onshore windfarms” due
to natural constraints and to lower levels of fees and higher
degression of fees specified in the amendment to the EEG.
The 100,000 roofs program that started in 1999 and ended in 2003
incented the installation of 350 MWp on 60,000 roofs in Germany,
with 408 MW of that PV capacity subsidized by the scheme. The EEG
amendment to increase fees from solar to offset the loss of
subsidies under the roofs program prompted installation of 300 MWp
last year, leaving Germany with 700 MWp of solar PV by the end of
2004.
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