magazine for business and investment - Innovatives Niedersachsen

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