Learning from the German experience with wind power.
To the Editor:
April 18, 2007
One should not make superficial comparisons between the development of wind energy in Canada with that of Europe.
In Germany, for example, they have very little hydropower (even less than wind energy) and, they are still heavily dependent upon hard coal and nuclear energy, which together provide about 25% of Germany's power, and which they have promised to reduce. Without other options, Germany is desperate to develop any renewable energy sources that they can.
However, wind energy in Germany has not been the panacea people hoped it would be. After considerable investment and, at the end of 2005, a total of 17,574 installations! it remains a very small player. In 2005, all renewable energies provided 4.6% of primary energy consumption. Of that, wind energy provided 16%. As a result of not living up to expectations, Germany had to resort to burning more coal. This pleases the nuclear energy lobby, of course. To some extent, things are still in the experimental phase. In the future, Germany plans to build more wind farms off-shore, up to 15,000 megatons, to exceed what is built upon land. People have complained about the noise and unsightliness of the wind farms.
A much larger source of renewable energy for Germany is that of biogenic solid fuels which provided about 45% of renewable energy in 2005. Other sources include solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, photovoltaics, and other biogenic (non-solid) fuels. Even if Germany covered itself with wind farms it would meet only a very small fraction of its energy needs.
Source: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, "Graphics and tables on the development of renewable energy sources in Germany in 2005", Status: May 2006.
Margaret Scopick
Germany