NGlobal Magazin 01-2010

Niedersachsen Global www.nglobal.de Energy 29 “Virtually all projections regarding future energy supply have greatly underesti- mated us: in 1990 the conventional power industry did not think it likely that wind energy would ever provide close to one percent of the national power supply.” Aloys Wobben, CEO Enercon Photo: GE The European head- quarters of GE Wind Energy are based in the small municipal- ity of Salzbergen. The U.S. company has over 10,000 wind turbines installed worldwide. Photo: Henning Reiter Niedersachsen accounts for one quarter of Germany’s wind energy generation. One in four turbines is found in Niedersachsen. Energy for the World In Germany a market share of over 60 percent of in- stalled capacity means that the Aurich company is clearly the top dog in the wind energy business. Early on Enercon’s slogan “Energy for the World” already seemed to point towards an auspicious future. Today some 16,000 Enercon turbines are revolving in over 30 countries. With their distinctive drop-shaped gen- erator housings, designed by Lord Norman Foster, and towers painted with green rings at their base, the tur- bines are easy to spot. As far as newly installed ca- pacity goes, the company ranks number four on the world market. Enercon has production sites in Turkey, Brazil, India, Sweden and Portugal. The company founder’s inventive genius has not kept to wind energy only. “We spent a long time trying to figure out how to translate our insights into wa- ter power,” relates Wobben. “The Weserkraftwerk power plant will show what we can do.” Enercon’s plans to supply two turbines with a maximum capac- ity of five MW each for the new Bremen hydroelectric power station, expected to generate electricity from mid 2011. Incidentally, Enercon’s research and devel- opment subdivision, WRD, is also involved in reducing fuel consumption of ships by using sailing rotors. Re- Photo: Bard The offshore industry greatly profits from the excellent infrastruc- ture—like in Cuxhaven. Here, the state of Niedersachsen and the EU have invested 48 million euros in the completion of an off- shore basis. ›