IT鈥橲 Friday afternoon and the sun is shining. Perfect weather for sunbathing, picnics and ice cream 鈥� but for Germany, a sunny day can also offer a significant power boost. In fact, on this particular Friday in May last year, the country鈥檚 1 million solar panels, many belonging to private homes, generated . That鈥檚 enough to supply the country鈥檚 economy with a third of the power it needs on a working day 鈥� pretty impressive for a country that isn鈥檛 exactly renowned for its sunny climate.
Solar power is a big part of Germany鈥檚 green revolution or 鈥淓nergiewende鈥�, which has seen the country鈥檚 renewable energy industry go from strength to strength. Back in 2000, , mostly hydropower. By 2012, that figure had , on the back of investment in biofuels, wind turbines and, in particular, solar power. Already, the German government has pledged to generate 35 per cent of the country鈥檚 electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020, rising to 80 per cent by 2050.
But to meet those targets, the Energiewende is undergoing a revolution of its own. New research networks that link researchers across Germany 鈥� and young companies with fresh ideas 鈥� will be key in ensuring that the chemists, physicists and engineers who have driven the country鈥檚 energy revolution, along with new recruits, can see it through.
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鈥淎bout 20 years ago, you might have been considered strange to install a solar system on your roof,鈥� says Niklas Martin, executive director of the Berlin-based , an organisation that links some of Germany鈥檚 top renewable energy institutes. 鈥淣ow you鈥檙e seen as a smart person who is investing for the future.鈥�
Going for green
That change of heart came about largely as a result of Germany鈥檚 1998 federal elections, which put the country鈥檚 Green party into a governing coalition for the first time.
, an international manufacturer of solar panels based in Bonn, was founded that same year. 鈥淭oday you鈥檒l find most of Europe鈥檚 top manufacturers of renewable energy technology in Germany,鈥� says Milan Nitzschke, company vice-president. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still technologically more advanced than our competitors around the world.鈥�
聯Today you鈥檒l find most of Europe鈥檚 top manufacturers of renewable energy technology in Germany聰
Although cheap offerings from China have hit some of Germany鈥檚 solar companies hard, the effect may not be lasting, says Nitzschke. He says that 鈥� and if so, whether action should be taken to protect those EU firms.
鈥淲hen you add in things like transportation costs, you just can鈥檛 produce these systems for the European market at a lower cost in Asia,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e actually started a joint venture in Korea but we quit this after a few years 鈥� the total costs were higher than at our highly automatised factory in Germany.鈥�
SolarWorld employs around 100 chemists, physicists and engineers in its R&D centre in Freiberg, says Nitzschke, and similar-sized companies offer internships for those with backgrounds in these sciences, as well as computer science and economics. But for young graduates willing to take more of a risk, working for a start-up rather than an established company could reap real benefits.
Children of the revolution
鈥淪tart-ups always offer a very good opportunity for graduates,鈥� says Steffanie Rohr at , a solar start-up based in Dresden. 鈥淭hey want young people who can deal with some uncertainty and have a fresh look at things but at the same time are very knowledgeable.鈥� Heliatek itself began as a university spin-off involving established researchers and PhD students.
Graduate roles in small start-ups also tend to involve more responsibility, says Christoph Roessner, managing director and co-founder of S眉ssen-based company , which develops solar-powered charging stations for electric cars. 鈥淚f you join a large company you鈥檙e just one of perhaps 50,000 employees,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut if you join a young company with just four or five employees, you can have a massive influence.鈥�
Such roles can also provide the opportunity to get involved in groundbreaking research and product development. Earlier this year, for instance, Heliatek capitalised on its researchers鈥� know-how to set a new world record for solar-cell efficiency.
Germany is also a tempting target for the more academically minded scientist. The German government has boosted funding for new institutes such as in Leipzig, as well as existing organisations such as the Berlin-based , which operates 18 research centres across the country.
Linking up
Wind power also forms an important part of Germany鈥檚 energy mix, and there are opportunities to get involved in advancing its potential. One possible source of information and contacts is , a virtual research centre that connects wind energy researchers at the universities of Oldenburg, Hanover and Bremen. In January, ForWind itself became a member of an even larger network 鈥� the 鈥� together with the and the . This new grouping brings together hundreds of physicists and engineers across Germany to work on the technologies that will help the country鈥檚 wind power industry grow.
Most of Germany鈥檚 non-university research institutes are members of the Renewable Energy Research Association (FVEE) 鈥� Europe鈥檚 largest green energy research network. Member institutions collaborate and share expertise to drive the development of new renewable energy technologies.
Such alliances are attracting huge sums for research and development projects. 鈥淔or instance, we鈥檙e developing smart rotor blade technology to optimise the power production of single turbines,鈥� says Stephan Barth, managing director at Forwind. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a 鈧�12 million project 鈥� no single institution would have been able to get that sort of money. It needed these broad research alliances.鈥�
The surge in funding is heightening the need for more physicists and engineers. 鈥淎ll 600 of our scientists are already working on existing projects,鈥� says Barth. 鈥淎s we get huge new projects, we need additional scientists 鈥� and we need them now.鈥�
Germany鈥檚 Energiewende appears well on its way. 鈥淎ll the political parties have said we will have 100 per cent renewable energy in the long term 鈥� it鈥檚 just a question of the pace of change,鈥� says , a renewable energy systems researcher at the in Berlin.
That will largely be decided by the next round of federal elections, due in September this year. 鈥淲ith a new government, there may be a faster pace of change, and that will bring plenty of new jobs,鈥� Quaschning says.
