BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – The expansion of wind turbines in Germany is progressing – but the bar has not yet been reached by a long way. Four to five new wind turbines per day on average by 2030, that was the announcement by Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). In the first half of this year there were not even two. The discrepancy between the current expansion and the politically desired target path is still large, said Dennis Rendschmidt, Managing Director of the VDMA Power Systems association, on Tuesday. A fourfold expansion rate is necessary, said the President of the Federal Association of Wind Energy, Bärbel Heidebroek. The industry still sees many obstacles.
More wind turbines in the first half of the year
In the first half of 2023, 331 wind turbines with a total output of around 1.56 gigawatts were installed, according to the industry associations. Because old systems were also shut down, there was a so-called net increase of around 1.32 gigawatts – 50 percent more than in the same half of the previous year.
In the first half of 2023, approvals were also granted for 585 new wind turbines with a total output of around 3.2 gigawatts. The approval of a wind turbine by the responsible authorities is considered a crucial hurdle. Then there is an invitation to tender, then the construction of a wind turbine.
Last year, the federal government decided on extensive measures to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies from wind and sun. This plays a key role in achieving climate protection goals and decoupling energies such as coal and gas. The goal: 80 percent of the electricity consumed should come from renewable sources in 2030, currently it is just over half. The industry sees wind turbines on land as the “driving force” of the energy transition, i.e. the replacement of fossil energies from coal, gas and oil.
The federal government’s goal by 2030 is an installed capacity of around 115 gigawatts for onshore wind turbines in Germany. According to information from the industry, around 28,500 wind turbines are currently in operation with a combined output of around 59 gigawatts. From 2025 onwards, 10 gigawatts are to be connected to the grid each year. At the same time, the output of the individual wind turbines is constantly increasing.
Strong gradient among countries
With 38 percent of the new construction in the first half of 2023, Schleswig-Holstein is the undisputed leader, according to the associations. Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg followed at a clear distance. In southern Germany in particular, the expansion continues to falter.
According to the industry, Bavaria, the largest federal state in terms of area, has an output of 37 kilowatts per square kilometer converted to the state area – Schleswig-Holstein has a value of 505 kilowatts per square kilometer.
The goal is that two percent of the entire federal area on land be designated for wind turbines. To this end, the federal states were legally obliged to provide more space. Different targets apply to the individual countries up to the end of 2032 because there are different requirements for the expansion of wind energy. According to Heidebroek, only about 0.7 percent of the areas are currently being shown. “Of course that’s far too little.” In addition, the year 2032 is too far away, the area target must be brought forward.
Obstacles to faster expansion
The federal government has set a lot in motion – but that has often not yet arrived at the “base”, said Heidebroek – i.e. in the local authorities in the municipalities and districts. For years there was a tendency to see what could speak against a project. Wind turbines are often controversial locally. According to Heidebroek, the authorities now need to rethink: how can a wind turbine be realized? It also needs more digitalization and more staff. The planning and approval procedures still took far too long. According to the associations, the duration has even increased recently, to an average of 24.5 months.
The industry also sees a major problem with transport – wind turbines usually reach their destination by road. In Germany, it takes an average of twelve weeks to approve a large heavy transport, said Rendschmidt. “In Holland it’s four to five days.” With a planned expansion of 10 gigawatts of wind power per year, around 120,000 permits for heavy transport in Germany are required. Three quarters of these could be eliminated by unifying standards./hoe/DP/he
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