Germany - Wind Energy "Autobahn" to redistribute electricity from North Germany to Southern and Eastern regions

Germany is planning a wind energy "Autobahn" from north to south to connect its growing wind energy supply with high energy demand regions. Both onshore and offshore wind energy is so far generated primarily in northern Germany, whereas energy consumption is highest in southern and western regions. Today, more wind power is produced in Germany than in any other European country. And over half of Europe's approved offshore wind farm projects are planned for Germany's coastlines. Germany Trade & Invest will be at AWEA Windpower 2011 in Anaheim, California, to share the latest opportunities in Germany's wind energy sector.

'Germany's ambitious energy plans call for the extensive expansion of wind turbines, especially the offshore segment. Plans to revolutionize the country's energy grid and provide attractive loans for offshore wind farm clear the way for further investments in the sector. For manufacturers, suppliers and researchers, it is an excellent time to invest in Germany,' states Anne Brautigam, wind energy expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

Germany is focusing heavily on offshore wind for its future energy supply. With the goal of 25 GW of electricity from offshore installations by 2030, wind could replace 20 nuclear power stations. This year Germany's KfW Banking Group is expected to initiate a special program for offshore wind, making EUR 5 billion credit available for the construction of Germany's first ten offshore parks.

Germany's first wind farm in the Baltic Sea went online on May 2. The 48.3 megawatt (MW) park - Baltic 1 - will generate up to 185 gigawatt hours of electricity annually - enough to power 50,000 homes. It joins North Sea wind farm alpha ventus (60 MW), which began operating last year.

Currently BARD Offshore 1 (400 MW) is under construction in the North Sea and large-scale wind farms are in development in both seas, with supplier and service contracts currently being awarded. These include Baltic 2, Dan Tysk (each 288 MW), Nordsee Ost (295 MW) and Amrumbank West (300 MW).

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

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