Renewable energy with high development potential

The natural supply of wind and solar energy, water power, bioenergy and geothermal energy exceeds current energy consumption many times over. A differentiation is made between the technically feasible and economic potential of renewable energy available from this natural potential.

According to a pilot study of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (2007), by 2020 renewable energy can achieve a 30 percent share of power supply in Germany. The planned cessation of nuclear energy capacity by then can therefore be completely replaced by renewable energy. This is subject to achievement of the planned reduction in energy demand by one percent per year through improved efficiency and more sparing use.

Worldwide, the International Energy Agency IEA assumes that by 2030 more than one quarter of energy consumption will be able to be covered by renewable energy. Studies by Greenpeace/EREC (2007) and the Federal Government's German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) show that by 2050, renewable energy could secure half the worldwide power supply.