What role does the renewable energy industry play in comparison to Germany’s other economic sectors?
NATIONALLY: The German renewable energy industry is one of the most important growth industries in Germany. It covers 15.1 percent of German electricity consumption, 7.3 percent of heat consumption and 5.9 percent of fuel consumption. Renewable energy’s contribution to total energy consumption in Germany was around 9.6 percent in 2008. In 2008, renewable energies cut approx. 115 million tons of carbon emissions. INTERNATIONALLY: The German renewable energy industry also continues to be a leader internationally. In 2007, plants and technology worth approximately € 8.5 billion (approx. 11.8 billion dollars) were exported. The German wind energy industry accounts for aproximately 30 percent of the global market. Germany is a world leader in terms of its capacity of wind power plants and photovoltaic systems. The renewable energies sector saw a sharp rise in revenues in the period from 2000 to 2008. Revenues grew sixfold from € 6.9 billion (approx. 9.3 billion dollars) to € 40.7 billion (a
