Taken from www.independent.co.uk, 18 September 2011, article by AFP
Wind turbines and solar panels are fast becoming familiarsights at car assembly plants as automakers slash carbon emissions not only ofthe models they produce, but along the whole production chain.
"There'd be little sense in cutting the CO2 emissions of ourcars to zero if we're pumping out tonnes more of the gas to build them," saidChristian Mohrdieck, director for fuel cell and battery drive development atDaimler.
"We have to take a look at the entire production chain."
Germany has opted to pull out of nuclear power and it seemsto be its carmakers who are spearheading the drive into renewable sources ofenergy.
From 2013, BMW has decided to install wind turbines at itsplant in Leipzig in eastern Germany to provide the power for the assembly of itselectric and hybrid models, the i3 and the i8, being unveiled at this year's IAAmotor show.
Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, recently announced apartnership with Austrian power generator Verbund to cover 10 percent of theelectricity needs of its 12 German plants via hydro-electric power from2013.
And according to a report in the Financial Times Deutschlandlast month, VW has earmarked billions of euros (dollars) for investment inrenewables over the next two years and is set to announce the acquisition of astake in a giant wind park in the North Sea soon.
French giant Renault boasts that has opened a "zero-carbon"factory at Tangiers, Morocco, powered by wind turbines while biomass generatorsprovide steam and heating and manufacturing waste is recycled.
And in an investment that could prove attractive not only inimage terms, but in financial terms, too, the auto giant is planning to equipits French sites with solar panels by 2012.
It is costly for Renault to buy "clean" electricity fromFrench power supplier EdF, because the latter is legally obliged to buy solarenergy from generators at a hefty premium to the market.
Nevertheless, automakers are not intending to move intoelectricity generation on a large scale themselves, but will simply "accompany"research and development in the new infrastructures associated with clean cars,said Renault's environment director Jean-Philippe Hermine.
All sides insist that governments should lead the way infinding solutions for storing power generated from renewable sources.
Unlike fossil-based energy sources or nuclear power,generating capacity for wind or solar energy cannot be phased up or downdepending on fluctuations in demand, and so ways need to be found for storingit.
"Electricity consumption does not always coincide with theweather," said Daimler's Mohrdieck.
"Sometimes the only option will be to sell off surpluses ofrenewable energy cheaply or simply waste them," said Reinhard Otten, head ofAudi's "e-gas" project.
This project aims to use wind-generated electricity tomanufacture hydrogen by means of electrolysis. That hydrogen can then in turn beused to manufacture synthetic methane, which is chemically identical to naturalgas and can power combustion engines.
Audi plans to start building engines powered by e-gas in2013.