Friday, 16 October 2009 08:01

Germans are leading the way in the clean energy revolution.  From huge smart grid projects and massive wind and solar farms to smaller micro-generation projects at the home to new appliances Germany is taking energy efficiency very seriously.

Germany passed legislation more than 20 years ago that required utility companies to pay homeowners who generated renewable power.  Since 1990, carbon emissions there have been reduced by 23 percent as a result of forward-thinking policies and by embracing innovative technologies.

The country is now conducting tests that will determine if homes can produce all of their energy needs and sell excess back to the power grid.  Operating under the label E-Energy, the project will include tens of thousands of homes in six separate regions.  The €140 million project has attracted many of the world’s largest energy and technology firms who have agreed to help pay for the effort.  Germany believes that a similar nationwide program could conserve 10 terawatts of energy annually – an amount equal to the yearly consumption of 2.5 million homes.

The Germans are also working on offshore wind farms and massive solar power installations to be built in Africa.  Several energy companies are working on the solar project that will eventually feed clean energy into Europe’s power grid.  Schemes such as these can eventually provide up to a third of the country’s requirements, according to estimates.

Other plans include Volkswagen and Lichtblick, a green energy company, teaming up to install 100,000 mini power plants in homes.  Bosch is rumoured to be developing a solar powered care and Cisco is working on a German smart grid that is expected to be working next year.  Homes in Karsruhe and Stuttgart have been fitted with fuel cells and solar panels.  Some German homes also have monitoring systems installed that allow central controlling or appliances and the ability to generate more power at home when demand is high and prices are higher than normal.

The Volkswagen power plants will run on natural gas at first and can possibly be converted to run on biogas in the future.  The mini-power plants produce heat and energy for a home while a solar panel system installed on the roof provides some electricity to the system.  This project carries a price tag exceeding $2 billion.

Appliance maker Miele, among others, is developing washing machines that provide energy consumption information and the ability to be controlled remotely.  Storage of renewable power is always an issue; Germany plans to use the batteries in plug-in cars to provide or store energy as needed.  Cars in the Harz region are already doing this.

These major projects are leading to the creation of new green energy markets.  The integration of the energy, IT, appliance, and the automotive industries is creating a wealth of new green jobs in Germany.  Like never before these new technologies are allowing consumers to have control over how they are using electricity.

China, the United States, and other European countries are eager to get a smart grid and energy efficient technologies up and running as quickly as possible.  In the meantime, however, the rest of the world will have to play catch-up with Germany.

Volkswagen
Berliner Ring 2
Wolfsburg, 38840
Germany
http://www.volkswagenag.com

Lichtblick
http://www.lichtblick.de

Bosch
Postfach 106050
Stuttgart, D-70049
Germany
http://www.bosch.com

Cisco Systems, Inc.
170 West Tasman Dr.
San Jose, CA 95134
http://www.cisco.com

Miele
Carl-Miele-Strasse 29
Gütersloh, D-33332
Germany
http://www.miele.com