Enlarge image (© flickr user Ryan Mahle of Sherman Oaks, CA) Having reached the goal of using 20 percent sustainable energy, Germany is now targeting another area for sustainable development: heating. Germany has set a goal of having 14 percent sustainable heating by 2020 - and is backing that goal with 500 million euros.

"Renewable electricity is only the first step in the shift to a sustainable energy future," said Heiko Staubitz, an energy efficiency expert at Germany Trade & Invest in Berlin.

"With generous funding for renewable heating, Germany is making great strides in developing and implementing new technologies," he added.

"Companies spanning the globe are looking to Germany for market and R&D opportunities."

At this year's Ecobuild, which took place this year in London and ends today, Germany Trade & Invest highlighted business opportunities in Germany that will result from the country's interest in developing sustainable heating technologies.

But new technologies are not the only element in the sustainability question, and the efficient use of energy will also be examined.

"Germany is working on both sides of the energy equation, with generous incentives also available for improvements in construction techniques and materials," said  Staubitz.

The initiative is being funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and the federal KfW Banking Group and will be extended for five years to support the development of solar collectors, thermal solar systems, heat grids, biogas plants, biomass systems, and geothermal energy.