Brandenburg utilize sustainable solutions in order to produce renewable energy, mainly from bio-energy and wind.
Brandenburg is the largest producer of biodiesel in Germany. One of the three German Bioethanol factories is located directly in Schwedt. This processes nearly 650,000 tonne of rye, which can no longer find a use in the food sector. Liquid manure, corn and other renewable primary products already generate biogas for 40 energy plants, where rural power generating systems supply up to 19,000 kW to the electrical grid.
One third of the Brandenburg area – approx. 1m hectares – is covered by forests; of which pine constitutes 80%. Over 15,000 jobs thrive on the processing of this sustainable raw material. 116ha has been planted with fast growing tree varieties such as locust, poplar and willow. The result: three- to four-fold higher wood generation per hectare.
2007 circumstances appeared to be right for market development for bioethanol – there was no tax on bioethanol until 2015, there were national incentives reducing the price of E85, and there was a small but growing fleet of FFV’s in the region as well as local production of bioethanol.
However, several problems arose. A complex permitting process slowed introduction of refuelling stations. The local bioethanol producer faced production problems when the price of corn rose dramatically in 2007. The debate on the sustainability of biofuels increased local uncertainty.
Nonetheless, sales of FFV’s did increase in Brandenburg, in part because Ford sells FFV’s for the same price as conventional vehicles. By the end of 2008, there were nearly 10 000 Ford FFV’s in Germany, of which 11900 were in eastern Germany.
2009 there were six filling stations offering E85 in Brandenburg, six in Berlin and a total of approximately 250 in Germany, mostly situated in the west and northwest of the country.