Energy without end
Renewable energies: Facts, figures, potentials.
Electrical power
In the German electrical power industry, renewable energies deliver 14.8 percent of the electricity generated. The largest share of this, at almost 7 percent, is produced by wind energy. This is followed by bioenergy — where biogas and solid biomass are converted into electricity. About one-fifth of Germany’s regenerative electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants. Photovoltaic systems currently contribute only about 0.7 percent to satisfying electrical requirements, but they are showing the strongest growth of all the renewables. Their contribution to power generation has in the meantime grown to 5 percent of all regenerative electricity. The exploration and development of geothermal sources for power production are still in their infancy. The three geothermal power plants now in operation cover 0.003 percent of Germany’s electricity needs.
Investments in renewable energies and more.
Regenerative sources account for 7.7 percent of Germany’s thermal energy at present. Bioenergy is the most important pillar here. Heat generation using wood pellets, vegetable oils or biogas produces a good 90 percent of all heat from renewable sources. Solar collectors represent a decentralized technology for the use of the sun’s rays. They currently make a 3.8 percent contribution to regenerative heat production. Using heat pumps to recover geothermal energy directly is experiencing vigorous growth at present, delivering 0.2 percent of the heating energy used, representing about 2.8 percent of all heat from renewable sources.
Fuels
In the transportation sector biofuels, making up a 6.1 percent share, are contributing to moving beyond petroleum. Among the biofuels, biodiesel holds the largest share. Vegetable oils and bioethanol contributed about 10 percent each to “renewable mobility”. The overall efficiency of biodiesel and bioethanol production, measured in terms of the amount of energy produced per unit of cultivated land, is a matter of some dispute. In the medium and long terms, electric-powered mobility will become a relevant magnitude and, when using power from renewable resources, could exert a considerable effect in terms of climate protection.
Source: BEE, BMU
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