ABSTRACT
The use of renewable energy (RE) in the past was the sole source of energy for a long time and only in the course of industrial development its role has diminished. In Germany the majority of the population is in favour of renewable energy supply. In the seventies this was caused by the wish for reduced dependency on imports and the consciousness about the limitation of the stock of fossil fuels. Later, environmental damage by the use of fossil fuels strengthened the point and in the meantime the danger of climatic change plays an important role. Also it is now better known that the biosphere reacts much more to the disregard of ecological principles than was believed before. In addition, that renewable energy is an alternative to nuclear energy and its potential dangers played also a role.
