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Posted: 2/18/09

Germany.  I am not a big fan of wikipedia, but here is a link to renewable energy in Germany.  It has some of the stats that I was looking for on Germany's plans and goals to increase the amount of renewable energies their country uses.  What is most remarkable is that Germany sets lofty goals for itself and consistently surpasses their own goals.  Some of their current goals include receiving 27% of their energy needs from alternative energies by 2020 and to stop using nuclear power by 2020 as well.  As of 2007 Germany gets 14% of their energy needs from alternative sources.

Here is a link from phys.org about a new trend that takes after Germany to create homes that are so energy efficient that even with outdoor temperatures in the 20's the homes stay warm.  The cost of all of the improvements to the home in this article is $20,000 and the monthly bill went from $200 to $40.  The home is 2,300 sq foot in Batavia Illinois.  The energy savings for such "passive solar" homes is estimated to be about 90%.  The real energy consumption in such homes comes from household appliances such as television or computer.  Central heating is no longer needed in such homes.

Much of the alternative energy news these last few months has been about solar power.  Solar power is certainly a major growth industry as well as most of the other alternative fuels.

Last Updated: 9/20/15

TAGS: energy