renewables – Made in Germany

fed into the natural gas grid or obtained at any natural
gas filling station. Once it has been compressed to
250 bar, it can also be used directly as a fuel. A biogas
filling station can be located adjacent to a biogas
plant equipped with the required processing system.
In this way, vehicles powered by natural gas can be
supplied via an off-grid system. At the end of 2010, the
number of natural gas vehicles worldwide stood at
around 12.7 million, an increase of some 12 % over the
previous year. Of this number, Pakistan alone has
around 2.74 million, Iran 1.95 million, Argentina 1.9
million and Brazil 1.66 million. Italy is the leader in
Europe with approx. 730,000 vehicles. Some 92,000
vehicles are powered by natural gas in Germany. Over
18,000 natural gas stations are in operation worldwide.
Regulatory framework
Substituting crude oil imports with biogenic resources
means that long-term energy security and stable energy
prices can be guaranteed as a basis for thriving economic
development. However, the cost of manufacturing
biofuels and therefore their competitive edge in
international trade depends significantly on the price
developments of the agricultural feedstocks required.
In addition, the laying down in law of national levels for
biofuels supports the establishment of a reliable global
market for biofuels. EU directive 2009/28/EC mandates
that 10 % of fuel consumption in the European Union
must be met by renewable energies by 2020. The
European-wide market launch of biofuels in the transport
sector has been largely driven by EU directive
2003/30/EC of May 2003. The directive defined indicative
targets for transport fuels from biogenic and other
renewable energy sources as 2 % by 31 December 2005
and 5.75 % by 31 December 2010 for all EU Member States.
In 2010, Germany already covered 5.8 % of its fuel consumption
with renewable energies. Governments
worldwide are encouraging the manufacture of biofuels
by means of tax breaks and investment incentives.
Particularly when oil prices are high, biofuels
enjoy an economic upswing in many countries.
Outlook
The reliable system technology and experience offered
by German companies can be used for the production
and utilisation of biofuels worldwide. In addition to the
further development of proven technologies for the
production of what are now common biofuels, there
is a concerted push to develop new technologies which
utilise alternative biogenic resources. German companies
are working with researchers to develop processes
for the generation of biofuels based on a wide range
of substrata, including wood and straw as well as refuse.
A variety of methods for producing BtL fuels have been
developed through the research and pilot-scale production
conducted by various research institutes and
companies. At present, BtL production in Germany is
in the demonstration phase and, according to experts,
is not expected to be produced on an industrial scale
for some time. The BtL process involves the thermal
gasification of biomass, followed by the purification and
liquefying of the resulting synthesis gas. The excellent
potential exhibited by BtL fuels in reducing greenhouse
gas emissions makes it an important alternative – in
addition to biofuels established in the market – in
achieving the climate protection targets set by Germany’s
federal government. Another process being
pursued in Germany is the development of biodiesel
production using algae with high oil content.
In view of the public acceptance required, the
production and marketing of biofuels is linked in
future with proof that certain sustainability requirements
are fulfilled. Germany is a pioneer in the national
implementation of sustainability requirements mandated
by the Renewable Energies Directive (2009/28/
EC) and has already developed a comprehensive system
for testing the sustainability of bio-energy production.
Since November 2009, the “Ordinance on
Requirements for the Sustainable Production of Biofuels”
(Biofuels Sustainability Ordinance, Biokraft-
NachV) has been in effect in Germany. From 1 January
2011, bio fuels in Germany will only offset the quota
obligation or be included in tax exemptions when an
officially inspected proof of sustainability is presented.
This ensures that only biofuels are used that make a
signi ficant contribution to reducing greenhouse
gases, regardless of their source, and that they do not
ori ginate from ecologically valuable areas such as
rain forests. To ensure compliance with the national
biofuel ordinance, unions and organisations of the
German agricultural and biofuel industry created the
REDcert certification programme with the establishment
of REDcert GmbH at the beginning of 2010. In
addition, the German government also supports an
internationally oriented certification system for bio-
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