CEO of WSB Neue Energien GmbH, Dresden

 

“It’s a great feeling to have been involved in shaping the sector from the outset.”

 

When did you first get involved with renewable energies?

It all started during my studies. I was already an enthusiastic water sportsman and nature lover in those days, and I started taking a closer look at wind conditions and green energy production. Together with my father Achim Dorner, I founded an engineering consultancy for the construction of photovoltaic plants in 1996. The first wind energy plant was up and running just one year later, financed as a fund with private grants – a pioneering achievement at the time. To date, WSB Neue Energien GmbH has built 238 wind energy plants.

 

What motivates you?

A love of the natural world and an enthusiasm for the sustainable production of energy continues to be the motivation for my work. The sector is long out of its infancy, we are also active on an international level. Companies have increased in size and become more professional. It’s a great feeling to have been involved in shaping the sector from the outset. With a good dose of courage and enthusiasm, we’ve helped to make wind energy a successful model. Now we have to take the next step, so that wind energy, together with other renewable energies, can meet the power needs of the future.

 

Where do you see renewable energies in the year 2020?

Renewable energies are the basic technology of the economy. In the year 2020, they’ll be combined with each other to provide full-coverage supply for larger regions. Many of the wind parks in Germany will also be repowered – with taller and more efficient plants. In many locations, it’s possible to build turbines with a hub height of 150 metres.

 

What still needs to be done to achieve this?

Obstacles in the authorisation procedure must be dismantled, height restrictions for example. If wind parks can’t be repowered at one location, then substitute sites must be proposed. Wind power forecasts should be improved. In addition, incentives should be created to combine wind power with other renewable energies.

 

In your view, which debates over renewable energies will define the year 2009?

1. Developing the market in eastern Europe

2. Direct marketing of wind energy

3. Combination of various renewable energies

 

When the day’s work is done, how do you like to relax and switch off?

With good food and good wine. The wine-growing region of Saxony is not well-known, but there are some excellent wines from the region around Dresden. When I have the time, I enjoy taking part in sporting activities in and around Dresden.

 

Expertise: Onshore-wind, photovoltaics, economic cost-benefit calculations for plants, financing / investments / project development, social acceptance of renewable energies, communal use of renewable energies, political frameworks and the advancement of renewable energies, EEG

 

Press enquiries: Mandy Freudenberg, +49.351.2118368, m.freudenberg@wsb.de