German sun powers a revolution

A VAST former Soviet military training base under the often sullen grey skies of what was once communist East Germany is an unlikely new hub for the world’s solar energy industry.

Part of the 28,000-hectare Lieberose training ground is to be transformed into what will be the world’s biggest solar plant. Once it opens in 2009, it will help propel Germany to the forefront of the international sun-power revolution.
“Germany is now home to the largest concentration of solar manufacturing plants anywhere in the world,” said Carsten Koernig, chief of the German Solar Industry Association. “On a long-term basis, a third of Germany’s energy for heating and a quarter of the generation of electricity will be produced from solar plants sited near consumers.”

Underpinned by generous government subsidies, Germany’s sun-power sector is predicted to double its number of jobs to 90,000 over the next five years and to hit 200,000 in 2020 with the renewable energy industry gaining strength as concerns about global warming and high oil prices increase.

The rapid development of the German sun-power sector, despite a heavy cloud cover during about two-thirds of annual daylight hours, means the nation has become the world’s leader in generating solar energy, producing 55 per cent of the world’s photovoltaic (PV) energy from solar panels stretching across the country.

The Age