North Rhine-Westphalia
| Population: | 17.9 million (2008) |
|---|---|
| GHG Emissions: | 282.5 MtCO2 (2008) |
Targets and Goals
North Rhine-Westphalia intends to adopt a Climate Change Bill. Key points are:
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in NRW by at least 25% by 2020 and by 80 to 95% by 2050 compared to 1990;
- An increase in energy efficiency, energy conservation and the expansion of renewable energies;
- The mitigation of adverse impacts of climate change;
- The establishment of a Climate Change Council;
- The introduction of climate protection goals as objectives of regional planning;
- A CO2-neutral state administration until 2030
Top Actions
Energy Efficiency
- A pilot project introducing energy management systems in industrial enterprises started in September 2009
- The project "100 Klimaschutzsiedlungen in Nordrhein-Westfalen (100 Climate Protection Housing Developments in NRW) is to reduce thermally generated CO2 emissions in housing developments (new and rehabilitated buildings) consistently. The combination of energy efficiency and use of renewable energies supports a wide range of different options
- A complete city quarter with about 50,000 inhabitants will be transformed into a model community for energy efficiency during the next ten years. By 2020, the energy consumption in the pilot quarter is to be reduced by 50 per cent. To do so, existing housing stock will be converted into attractive residential quarters using the latest energy-saving technologies; municipal facilities like swimming pools or nurseries will be heated with cheap low-carbon energies, and innovative green companies will be attracted to the region. The InnovationCity Ruhr will also assume a pioneer role in electrical mobility by promoting environment-friendly e-cars and e-bicycles
Clean Energy
- Photovoltaics: 952 MW newly installed installation capacity from October 2009 to September 2010
- Wind: 157 MW newly installed installation capacity in 2009
- Through the initiative Warmepumpen Marktplatz NRW, a growing number of heat pumps are being installed in NRW. By 2020, this number will increase to about 200,000
- The share of decentralized power co-generation will be increased to at least 25%
Clean Transport
- To make North Rhine-Westphalia Europe’s first large-scale model region and bring at least 250,000 sustainable vehicles with electrical power trains to market by 2020
- Promotion of electric mobility in North Rhine-Westphalia along the entire value-added chain along with the required infrastructural changes, supporting the extension of clean electric mobility in conjunction with renewable energies
- The North Rhine-Westphalia Hydrogen HyWay runs along the hydrogen pipeline from the Aachen/Duren region via Cologne, Dusseldorf and Essen to the Northern parts of the Ruhr area. Hydrogen-fueled public buses and filling stations are being developed and tested in order to make hydrogen competitive and to accelerate market maturity of these vehicles
Promoting Low Carbon Technology
- Supporting house owners for energy refurbishment of residential buildings (providing advice, seminars, conferences, etc.)
- Supporting (via EnergieAgentur.NRW) industrial small trade companies in testing energy efficiency of their hydraulics, compressed air, pumps and drives systems
- Providing consumer advice through state-financed but independent energy consultancy centers
Contact Information
Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Schwannstraße 3
40476 Düsseldorf, Germany
http://www.umwelt.nrw.de/ministerium/info_english/index.php
Key Links
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy, Building, Housing and Transport (mostly German language)
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection
EnergyAgency.NRW (mostly German language)
Emission trading & climate protection (German language)