Wind power sets sail from crowded Germany
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
BERLIN, Dec 3 (Reuters): Nearly 19,000 wind turbines cover Germany, dotted across the countryside, nudging to the edge of cities and whirring alongside motorways.
They generate 5 per cent of Germany's electricity-more than in any other country in the world. But with the best plots already taken, there are now few spaces left where companies are allowed to build more. And it's not just a German problem.
"There's not that much empty land space," said Steve Sawyer, secretary-general of the Global Wind Energy Council, which represents the industry. "Northern Europe is this little, crowded peninsula on the western tip of Asia with an awful lot of people.
"The next big phase of development in places like Germany and Holland will be offshore, where the resources are so much better."
With a target of generating around 30 per cent of its electricity using renewable energy sources by 2020, Germany is one of several countries where investment is being poured into offshore wind technology. The first large sites are planned for next year in the North and Baltic seas.
They generate 5 per cent of Germany's electricity-more than in any other country in the world. But with the best plots already taken, there are now few spaces left where companies are allowed to build more. And it's not just a German problem.
"There's not that much empty land space," said Steve Sawyer, secretary-general of the Global Wind Energy Council, which represents the industry. "Northern Europe is this little, crowded peninsula on the western tip of Asia with an awful lot of people.
"The next big phase of development in places like Germany and Holland will be offshore, where the resources are so much better."
With a target of generating around 30 per cent of its electricity using renewable energy sources by 2020, Germany is one of several countries where investment is being poured into offshore wind technology. The first large sites are planned for next year in the North and Baltic seas.