Renewables in Germany in 2007: 9.1% of total energy consumption, 115m tonnes of CO2 avoided
Germany's national association for renewables (Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie, BEE) today presented its annual overview of the state of clean energy production in the country. According to BEE, 219.5 billion kilowatt hours or 9.1 per cent of all of Germany's primary energy is currently generated from renewables. With this, the country prevented around 115 million tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Its reduced dependence on imported oil, gas, coal and uranium is now worth €5.9 billion. When all externalities are taken into account, Germany prevented an estimated €8.6 billion worth of environmental damages resulting from the use of fossil fuels.
Despite these encouraging figures, the association warns that laws and policies remain a stumbling block for some forms of clean energy, particularly for renewable transportation fuels which have been plagued by trade and tax related problems.
In 2007, a total of 219.5 billion kilowatt hours worth of electricity and thermal energy were produced from renewables in Germany. Energy from biomass - for electricity generation, heating and transportation fuels - achieved by far the largest share with a total production of 149.6 bn kWh, up from 142.5bn kWh the previous year. Wind (38.5 bn kWh) and hydropower followed (27.1 bn kWh), with solar and geothermal growing but remaining marginal (figure 1, click to enlarge).
Electricity
BEE notes that the output of electricity from both wind and biomass have grown in 2007, even though investments have decreased slightly compared with the record year 2006. Still, the share of renewables in Germany's electricity production is now 14.3 per cent, up from 11.9 per cent the year before and from 10.3 per cent in 2005. Expressed in kilowatt hours, some 86.71 billion kWh were produced, up 13.67 bn kWh, or the equivalent of the entire annual electricity production of a nuclear power plant.
Fewer new wind turbines have been installed this year, but existing ones have been upgraded, explaining the increased power output to 38.5 bn kWh.
Electricity production from bioenergy (23.5 bn kWh) for the first time surpassed that of hydropower, the output of which has remained virtually stagnant. The fastest growing bioenergy sub-sector is electricity generated from dedicated biogas production (most often in efficient CHP plants): whereas biogas only provided 2.5 bn kWh in 2005, today it accounts for 8.5 bn kWh. Other biomass sources used in Germany for electricity are solid and liquid biofuels, as well as organic waste and landfill gas. Their share keeps growing gradually.
Even though photovoltaic electricity remains tiny compared to wind and bioenergy, it continued its steady growth, from 2.2 to 3bn kWh (figure 2, click to enlarge).
Renewable heat
The BEE notes that a large potential for renewable heat production exist in Germany, but that it remains underexploited and seems to be stagnating, contrary to its growing use in neighboring countries. Currently, heat from biomass, solar thermal installations and geothermal achieves a share of 6.4 per cent in Germany's total heat consumption, equivalent to 89bn kWh. Of this, bioenergy makes up the bulk, with 83.1 bn kWh (figure 3, click to enlarge):
energy :: sustainability :: biofuels :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biogas :: wind :: solar :: hydropower :: geothermal :: renewables :: Germany ::
Transport fuels
Liquid biofuels - biodiesel and ethanol - now make up 7 per cent of Germany's total transport fuels, up from 6.6 per cent the year before. The modest growth is the result of the increased taxes on biofuels that came into effect on January 1, 2007. Before that date, biofuels were exempt from fuel taxes.
BEE warns that this policy threatens to put some producers out of business, because they will not be able to compete with manufacturers abroad, notably Brazil for ethanol.
Of the liquid biofuels, of which 4.29 million tonnes were sold, only biodiesel grew significantly, seeing a consumption of 31.9 bn kWh equivalent, up from 28.93 bn kWh. Pure plant oil, used in converted diesel engines and by farmers, grew slightly, while bioethanol declined marginally (down from 3.57 bn kWh eq. to 3.5 bn kWh eq.)
The organisation calls for 'an immediate abandonment of the tax' on liquid biofuels, to reverse the trend.
Savings through renewables
The association states unambiguously that renewables are by far the most effective tool to fight climate change. The combined production of energy from biomass, wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal systems, avoided 115 million tonnes of CO2. This is 14 million tonnes per annum more than in 2006, the equivalent of taking 5 million passenger cars off the road, or of preventing the total emissions of a city the size of Cologne.
The reduced reliance on fossil fuels has benefits to the global environment. Even though a difficult exercise, applying environmental economics to the increased use of renewables, allows the BEE to conclude that an estimated €8.6 billion in environmental damages were avoided. Direct savings from reduced imports of oil, gas, coal and uranium were worth €5.9 billion in 2007.
References:
Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie: Erneuerbare Energien: Rekordwerte trotz gebremsten Wachstums - January 8, 2007.
Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie: Präsentation mit den Jahreszahlen 2007 [*.pdf] - January 8, 2007.
Despite these encouraging figures, the association warns that laws and policies remain a stumbling block for some forms of clean energy, particularly for renewable transportation fuels which have been plagued by trade and tax related problems.
In 2007, a total of 219.5 billion kilowatt hours worth of electricity and thermal energy were produced from renewables in Germany. Energy from biomass - for electricity generation, heating and transportation fuels - achieved by far the largest share with a total production of 149.6 bn kWh, up from 142.5bn kWh the previous year. Wind (38.5 bn kWh) and hydropower followed (27.1 bn kWh), with solar and geothermal growing but remaining marginal (figure 1, click to enlarge).
Electricity
BEE notes that the output of electricity from both wind and biomass have grown in 2007, even though investments have decreased slightly compared with the record year 2006. Still, the share of renewables in Germany's electricity production is now 14.3 per cent, up from 11.9 per cent the year before and from 10.3 per cent in 2005. Expressed in kilowatt hours, some 86.71 billion kWh were produced, up 13.67 bn kWh, or the equivalent of the entire annual electricity production of a nuclear power plant.
Fewer new wind turbines have been installed this year, but existing ones have been upgraded, explaining the increased power output to 38.5 bn kWh.
Electricity production from bioenergy (23.5 bn kWh) for the first time surpassed that of hydropower, the output of which has remained virtually stagnant. The fastest growing bioenergy sub-sector is electricity generated from dedicated biogas production (most often in efficient CHP plants): whereas biogas only provided 2.5 bn kWh in 2005, today it accounts for 8.5 bn kWh. Other biomass sources used in Germany for electricity are solid and liquid biofuels, as well as organic waste and landfill gas. Their share keeps growing gradually.
Even though photovoltaic electricity remains tiny compared to wind and bioenergy, it continued its steady growth, from 2.2 to 3bn kWh (figure 2, click to enlarge).
Renewable heat
The BEE notes that a large potential for renewable heat production exist in Germany, but that it remains underexploited and seems to be stagnating, contrary to its growing use in neighboring countries. Currently, heat from biomass, solar thermal installations and geothermal achieves a share of 6.4 per cent in Germany's total heat consumption, equivalent to 89bn kWh. Of this, bioenergy makes up the bulk, with 83.1 bn kWh (figure 3, click to enlarge):
energy :: sustainability :: biofuels :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biogas :: wind :: solar :: hydropower :: geothermal :: renewables :: Germany ::
Transport fuels
Liquid biofuels - biodiesel and ethanol - now make up 7 per cent of Germany's total transport fuels, up from 6.6 per cent the year before. The modest growth is the result of the increased taxes on biofuels that came into effect on January 1, 2007. Before that date, biofuels were exempt from fuel taxes.
BEE warns that this policy threatens to put some producers out of business, because they will not be able to compete with manufacturers abroad, notably Brazil for ethanol.
Of the liquid biofuels, of which 4.29 million tonnes were sold, only biodiesel grew significantly, seeing a consumption of 31.9 bn kWh equivalent, up from 28.93 bn kWh. Pure plant oil, used in converted diesel engines and by farmers, grew slightly, while bioethanol declined marginally (down from 3.57 bn kWh eq. to 3.5 bn kWh eq.)
The organisation calls for 'an immediate abandonment of the tax' on liquid biofuels, to reverse the trend.
Savings through renewables
The association states unambiguously that renewables are by far the most effective tool to fight climate change. The combined production of energy from biomass, wind, solar, hydropower and geothermal systems, avoided 115 million tonnes of CO2. This is 14 million tonnes per annum more than in 2006, the equivalent of taking 5 million passenger cars off the road, or of preventing the total emissions of a city the size of Cologne.
The reduced reliance on fossil fuels has benefits to the global environment. Even though a difficult exercise, applying environmental economics to the increased use of renewables, allows the BEE to conclude that an estimated €8.6 billion in environmental damages were avoided. Direct savings from reduced imports of oil, gas, coal and uranium were worth €5.9 billion in 2007.
References:
Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie: Erneuerbare Energien: Rekordwerte trotz gebremsten Wachstums - January 8, 2007.
Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie: Präsentation mit den Jahreszahlen 2007 [*.pdf] - January 8, 2007.
1 Comments:
A good start. Better than here in the U.S.A., I think.
Still, a long way to go...
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