Germany’s environment ministry will expand its budget for renewable energy research and development to about 128 million euros ($165.15 million) this year.
Federal Ministry for the Environment minister Norbert Röttgen said they will increase the research funding significantly to support German companies and research institutions involved in renewable energy and make them more competitive in the international market.
This year’s fund is just 8 million euros larger from 120 million euros laid out in 2010 that went to 184 new projects in wind energy research, particularly offshore wind, photovoltaic efficiency and others.
The offshore wind project Alpha Ventus, Germany’s first, will receive 18 million euros until 2012 as part of the grant approved by the European Commission in 2010. The first tranche worth 12 million was paid last year.
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The funding will also support energy infrastructure to accommodate future renewable energies, entailing the environment ministry to prioritize optimization of energy supply systems. Top priorities under this are storage technologies and network development expansion.
Research in the field of geothermal energy, solar thermal power plants and low-temperature solar thermal energy will be intensified.
The German government recently gave new impetus to renewable energy. In April this year, it will base its sixth energy research program the country’s the newly adopted energy concept. This raises the target of sourcing 18 percent of Germany’s gross energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020 to 20 percent.
Germany, a global leader in renewables, also recently pledged to contribute technological expertise on renewable energy and energy efficiency to aid both developed and developing countries.
The energy concept lays out the energy strategy until 2050, including improving further the country’s legal and planning framework for tapping renewable energy.
By 2030, the German government aims to take 50 percent of its electricity consumption from renewable energies, 65 percent by 2040, and 80 percent by 2050.
The energy research program of the Helmholtz Association is part of Germany’s energy policy responsible for ensuring energy supply in the country and Europe.
