Renewable energy
Energy requirements continue to rise each year. The resulting increase in emissions is having an enormous impact on the environment, which is an urgent call for us to rethink the methods we currently use to generate power. On 30 June 2011, the German government introduced a new energy policy. Under this legislation, all of the nuclear power stations in Germany are to stop producing electricity by 2022. Instead, renewable sources of energy must be used to provide a sustainable power supply that does not pollute the environment or threaten the climate.
In order to ensure rapid withdrawal from nuclear energy, it is necessary to promote alternative methods of supplying power. The latest technology in this field will play an essential role in the new energy concept: on the one hand, we have to build and expand power stations that can convert energy resources into renewable energy; on the other hand, there is a need for greater investment in the development of energy-efficient solutions that will cut energy demands. Across the globe, renewables have enormous potential for the implementation of a new energy concept because they are sustainable sources of energy that can be used locally.
Renewable energies for a better environment
Infineon Technologies offers a comprehensive range of power semiconductors for the renewable energy sector. These devices have a significant role to play in boosting energy efficiency, both for the reliable operation of power stations that use renewables – such as wind, solar and geothermal energy as well as biomass and hydroelectric power – and for the efficient conversion of power into electricity that can be fed into the grid.
The measures that Germany has planned as part of the energy transition will lead to a long-term reduction in CO2 emissions. This is a step towards protecting the climate; only slight temperature increases are expected in the next decades. Combined with a general shift on the part of individuals in their energy consumption habits, advanced technology could contribute to higher levels of energy efficiency, thus helping to preserve the environment. Renewable energy is the future.