NEW ENERGIES (green ENERGY)

Energy systems are changing around the world. This transition puts the focus on alternative sources of energy.

Renewable energy, besides the improvement of energy efficiency, is seen to be an essential element of sustainable energy policy. Compared to fossil fuels, which have formed in the course of millions of years and are therefore not renewable in a human dimension of time, different virtually endless sources of green energy are available to cover the ongoing energy demand.

The planning, construction, and operation of plants for the production of renewable energies require considerable technical know-how and a thorough risk management by all parties involved, such as planners, constructors, operators, manufacturers, and above all the insurance industry. The dynamic market requires an interdisciplinary approach that meets the needs of intertwined coverage solutions regarding the construction of and the duration of plants. This is applicable to:

• solar energy (photovoltaics and solar thermal energy),
• wind energy (onshore and offshore wind power stations),
• hydropower (wave power plants, ocean current power plants, tidal power plants, dams, osmotic power plants),
• geothermal energy, and also
• bioenergy (wood, oil, biogas, biomethane, bioethanol for heat and power generation and as fuel).

The insurance industry needs an expert partner, who is able to examine risks in terms of insurance contract and liability law during all stages of a project. Market leader BLD offers comprehensive advice on issues of product design and development, particularly regarding the following project stages

• planning (liability of structural engineers, engineers, architects, richness);
• transport/marine (transport insurance, business interruption, delay in start-up);
• assembly/construction (construction performance, assembly, project liability, business interruption, erection all risk); 
• operation (machinery, electronics, all risk concepts, business interruption, lack of sun/wind, public and environmental liability, product liability);
• recourse claims.

We also support our clients both with regard to the out-of-court examination of claims and concerning civil litigations.

As reliable partner of the insurance industry, BLD has been intensively working on many aspects of renewable energy from the beginning, thereby not only building up its own expertise but also establishing contacts with all kinds of specialised experts and other service providers.

Our well-experienced experts are already dealing intensively with lots of possible questions of these radical developments today. BLD's interdisciplinary approach guarantees solutions for future problems.

The construction and operation of facilities for using renewable energies are not limited to Germany. In these cases, we make use of our international alliance Legalign Global, of which BLD is a founding member.