magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen
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Image: Husum WindEnergy / Messe Husum & Congress<br />
More <strong>and</strong> more countries are intensifying their developments <strong>and</strong> expansion of wind energy usage <strong>and</strong> in the near future will require<br />
cutting-edge technology which will largely come from <strong>Niedersachsen</strong>.<br />
top position in Europe with more than 26 percent market share. But<br />
that is still not enough as measured against the installed output of<br />
over 19,500 wind energy plants, Enercon has a worldwide market<br />
share of seven percent. Important export markets <strong>for</strong> this wind giant<br />
are Sweden, Portugal, Turkey <strong>and</strong> Canada.<br />
As far as the eye can see. Steel energy giants up to 200<br />
metres high tower into the clear blue sky of the <strong>Niedersachsen</strong><br />
planes. This is where 25 percent of all German wind turbines turn.<br />
<strong>Niedersachsen</strong> backed the wind energy horse very early on. A recipe<br />
<strong>for</strong> success: In 2012 with a total installed wind energy output of<br />
over 7,000 megawatt, <strong>Niedersachsen</strong> is the pioneer in this sector<br />
in Germany. Onshore wind energy has, to date, been the driving<br />
<strong>for</strong>ce in the expansion of wind energy. Felix Rehwald from Enercon<br />
sums up: “<strong>Niedersachsen</strong> still has considerable potential <strong>for</strong> the<br />
further expansion of onshore wind energy. Enercon is using this <strong>and</strong><br />
is creating further wind energy projects in <strong>Niedersachsen</strong> together<br />
with its customers.” The new rotor blade factory in Emsl<strong>and</strong> built by<br />
Enercon started production in summer 2012. <strong>Niedersachsen</strong> plans<br />
to aim even higher in the installation of new wind power plants. In<br />
order to use existing sites in the state more efficiently, older smaller<br />
systems are being replaced by new large turbines, known as “repowering”.<br />
Every further metre of height results in one percent more<br />
output yield. “In <strong>Niedersachsen</strong> various repowering projects have<br />
already been implemented which have led to a significantly more<br />
efficient use of the sites”, confirms Bernd Neddermann from the<br />
German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI). However, wind energy is also<br />
very important as an employment driver <strong>and</strong> industry sector. A study<br />
by the Institute of Economic Structures Research <strong>and</strong> the Centre <strong>for</strong><br />
Solar Energy <strong>and</strong> Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg confirms<br />
this trend: Out of 100,000 German jobs in the wind sector, about<br />
22,000 of these are located in <strong>Niedersachsen</strong>.<br />
<strong>Niedersachsen</strong> is a technology leader in the wind energy sector.<br />
Already back in the early 1990s it had developed the necessary<br />
research structures which today cover the entire value chain of<br />
a wind power plant. The German Wind Energy Institute (DEWI)<br />
set up in 1990 with support from the Federal State of <strong>Niedersachsen</strong><br />
is a pioneer in the wind technology sector. Today it is an<br />
internationally sought after consultancy company with subsidiaries,<br />
amongst others, in Spain <strong>and</strong> China, two countries which play an<br />
important role in the international market in the wind technology<br />
sector. Every two years the Institute runs the international specialist<br />
conference DEWEK in Bremen, which is generating more <strong>and</strong> more<br />
interest. In 2012 more than 600 wind energy experts from across<br />
the world are expected. Also held in high international esteem is the