Appeal for a grass roots energy transition

Husum’s trade fair boss and energy experts from Schleswig-Holstein show ways to achieve self-sufficiency with renewable energy

Husum, 14.02.2013 Today, Messe Husum organised a press conference in Kiel on the subject of the energy transition at local level. Speakers included Schleswig-Holstein’s energy transition minister Dr Robert Habeck, Husum’s trade fair boss Peter Becker, the spokesman of the German Small Wind Turbine Association Roger Schneider and the marketing director of Energie aus Wind und Sonne GmbH, Stefan Ebert.

“The energy transition is a project whose success is dependent on private and local initiatives”, said Becker at the press conference. “Municipalities and local authorities are increasingly relying on energy supply and production using renewable sources, as well as on energy saving, as can be seen from the exhibitors at New Energy Husum.” The leading renewable energy trade fair is being held in Husum for the ninth time, from 21-24 March.

Private consumption pays off

“We want to produce three times as much electricity from renewable sources as we need in Schleswig-Holstein by 2020”, added Dr Habeck. The energy transition minister called upon local authorities and private individuals to achieve this goal together. “We have to save electricity, insulate houses and build wind farms on the small as well as the large scale.”

Another important pillar of the energy transition besides wind power is solar energy. If you use the electricity yourself, you can save or cut the costs for domestic electricity, grid expansion and the renewables levy (EEG-Umlage). “Despite the massive cuts in feed-in payments, private and commercial photovoltaic plants are still profitable, because the increasing electricity prices of the main power companies make solar power an attractive alternative. This is why there is a focus on power management at storage systems at New Energy Husum.” said Ebert.

The same goes for the small wind turbines: Schneider anticipates that the amortisation period can be reduced to as much as a third when you use the wind power yourself. “A one-family home can use 20 to 60 per cent of the wind power yield itself, and sell the rest”, said the small wind turbine expert. In commercial and industrial plants a turbine could even pay for itself within five to eight years.

About New Energy Husum

In recent years, New Energy Husum has established itself as one of the most important trade fairs for the renewable energy sector. Since 2002 it has served as a stage for decentralised energy generation using all kinds of renewable sources. Topics and techniques covered by the fair include small wind turbines (up to 100 kW), biogas, solid biomass (pellets, firewood and wood chips for heating systems), solar heating, photovoltaics, electric vehicles, near-surface geothermal energy, energy storage, energy-efficient building and mini CHPs. From 21 to 24 March 2013 experts and leading manufacturers will be meeting again in the North Frisian town of Husum to set the course for the innovations needed in what is a rapidly growing market.

Messe Husum & Congress
Catherine Diethelm
Am Messeplatz 12-18
25813 Husum
Tel.: +49 (0)4841 902 - 337
Fax: +49 (0)4841 902 - 246
eMail: diethelm@messehusum.de
www.messehusum.de

Press contact
PR-Agentur Krampitz
Iris Krampitz / Lea Schmitz
Dillenburger Str. 85
51105 Köln
Tel.: +49 (0)221 912 49949
Fax: +49 (0)221 912 49948
eMail: contact@pr-krampitz.de
www.pr-krampitz.de

This release was published on openPR.