Germany's First Offshore Wind Farm

Germany's energy supply is on the verge of an important turning point. Over the coming months and years, German utility giants plan to build massive offshore wind farms that are expected to produce huge amounts of green energy.

There is a gold-rush mentality in the air. "In the industry, the offshore wind market is seen as the key growth area in renewable energy in our regions," says Frank Mastiaux, CEO of Climate & Renewables at E.on. Politicians are also full of hope.

In 2007, Germany made a commitment to the European Union to substantially reduce its CO2 emissions. Chancellor Angela Merkel promised that her country would play a "pioneering role" in European and global climate protection. The goals were no less ambitious.

By 2020, Germany intends to reduce its emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by 30 percent over the base year of 1990. In its bid to reach this goal, the German government is taking an unorthodox approach within the EU. While its European neighbors plan to reduce their CO2 emissions through a mixture of energy conservation programs, the expansion of renewable energy and nuclear power, which has low CO2 emissions, Germany is standing by its plans to phase out nuclear power, which were announced by the administration of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

(from http://www.spiegel.de/)

(italian translation news on http://www.corriere.it/)