Industry of the Future
2009/01/26
Top Positions
Already 20 years ago, the ecology movement began to demand the establishment of an international agency for the promotion of renewable energy. In January 1990, Hermann Scheer, president of the European Association for Renewable Energy (EUROSOLAR), founded in 1988, presented the "Memorandum for the Establishment of an International Solar Energy Agency". EUROSOLAR and Hermann Scheer continued unremittingly to promote their project - without success - until the second SPD/Green coalition government included this project in their coalition agreements in 2002. At that time renewable energy had begun to boom worldwide and German companies had conquered top positions on the world market.[1] The extension of the global market not only promised higher profits for Germany but also the strengthening of the German position in the global energy sector.
Promotion
Since then, Berlin has been systematically promoting the use of renewable energy on a global scale.[2] Since early 2007, several ministries - the Federal Ministry for the Environment, but particularly the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Federal Ministry for Cooperation and Development - have been strongly promoting IRENA and, in 2008, with success. Last October, after a Preparatory Conference and several workshops were held in Berlin, more than 50 countries agreed to the establishment of the Agency that is taking place today in Bonn. More than 50 countries announced their willingness to become members and another 50 confirmed their participation as observers at the Conference in Bonn. IRENA will be pushing for the political, economic and technical expansion of renewable energy. The German government would like Bonn to become the site of the IRENA headquarters - to the advantage of German companies or, alternatively, have a German as general director of the agency.
Market Worth Trillions
German renewable energy companies are already experiencing an extraordinary boom. Last year, the Federal Ministry of the Economy thoroughly examined the development in this branch - with astounding results. Between 2004 and 2006, alone, the sector's total turnover increased from 7.2 billion Euros to 11.9 billion per year. The export volume increased from half a billion Euros in 2000 to six billion in 2006. German businesses conquered an average of 20 percent of the world market. This means that every third solar cell and just about every second windmill in the world are of German production. It is estimated that the world market volume will reach 2.2 trillion by 2020 - not least of all, because of massive political promotion measures. According to experts, the ecological industry could reach a higher sales volume than the traditional core industries, the auto and the mechanical engineering industries.[3]
Like Slaves
Serious misgivings about this development are hardly being heard in Germany, but in other countries. Critics in Brazil have been protesting for years against the agro-fuel boom's negative effects on food production. With the aid of agro-fuel from Latin America, the rich industrial states are getting "a full tank in return for empty stomachs."[4] A critic complains that hundreds of thousands of sugar cane plantation farm workers, working for Brazil's ethanol industry are being "held like slaves": their "working conditions are cruel, their pay ridiculous and their children are starving." According to a recent study, sugar cane slaves were better nourished before slavery was abolished in 1888, than the farm workers are today. A member of the church organization Comissão Pastoral da Terra commented on the conditions in the producing countries and Berlin's plans to import agro-fuel: "If Germany wants to wait for clean agro-fuel, they'll wait forever." Whoever "fills his tank with ethanol," is filling it "also with blood".[5]
Like Colonies
Agro-fuel as well as German solar energy projects are associated with antiquated conditions. As the German government confirms, it is contemplating the construction of solar energy plants in the Sahara - to supply Europe with energy.[6] The "sun belt countries", like Morocco and Tunisia, are demanding the "North's technique and know-how," declared Minister of State, Günter Gloser (SPD) in the beginning of January.[7] Concrete plans are already in the making, particularly in the framework of preparing the Mediterranean Union, which is due to begin functioning in a few months. "The objective is to produce sufficient energy for the South, as well as for the North," announces Minister of State Günter Gloser: "Solar thermal power plants in North Africa" should be able "to produce 20 gigawatt." This means that the former European colonies are again reduced to the status of suppliers of raw materials - and the big powers are again competing for their natural resources: the solar energy, which is lacking in the European North and will be exported in the future from the resource rich regions into the centers of affluence - as oil and gas are today.
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