Biofuel crops, solar panels to cover 11percent of Germany by 2020

Citation

(2010), "Biofuel crops, solar panels to cover 11percent of Germany by 2020", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 21 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2010.08321cab.001

Biofuel crops, solar panels to cover 11percent of Germany by 2020

Article Type: News From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 21, Issue 3

Efforts to boost production of renewable energy in Germany means the amount of land used to generate power and heat from corn, solar panels and wind turbines will more than double by 2020.

Almost 4 million hectares will be needed for growing biofuel crops and operating windmills and solar parks within ten years, according to data provided by Germany’s renewable energy agency. That compares with 1.77 million hectares used for renewable energy now in a country of 35.7 million hectares. Germany may be able to generate about half of its electricity using renewable sources at the end of the decade, the industry estimates. Most of the land will be used to grow crops such as corn, sugar beets and rapeseed for products including biodiesel, ethanol and biogas that are used in transportation fuels and electric production, the agency said. It is estimated that bioenergy has the potential to provide as much as 15 percent of the country’s energy needs.