Source: Energy & Management Powernews, August 22, 2022
The increased expansion targets for offshore wind power in 2045 could still be increased by almost 12,000 MW. Researchers have calculated for the associations BDEW and BWO.
Since the beginning of July, it has been cast in legislative text that German offshore wind power should increase its electrical output ninefold from the current 7,800 MW to 70,000 MW by 2045. 2045 is the year in which Germany aims to become climate-neutral in all sectors. Researchers have now calculated that 81,600 MW on the high seas are also "realistic and feasible" by then. This is reported by the clients, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and the German Offshore Wind Farm Operators Association (BWO). They cite a yet-to-be-published land potential study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (Iwes).
According to the study, there are several ways to increase land potential in the German North and Baltic Seas:
- Certain priority and reserved areas for other uses - shipping, fishing and national defense - are being opened up for co-use by wind power. Iwes spoke with these stakeholders and summarized the opportunities and obstacles. The BWO claims to have perceived a "pleasing willingness to compromise." The association aims to ensure that there are no losers in joint uses, he said. Conversely, in the regional planning procedure, the BWO had categorically rejected requests for use by the Bundeswehr for reconnaissance installations or training areas in wind farms with reference to property rights.
- Existing wind farms are partially or completely repowered, as is common in onshore wind power, and / or thinned out by moving old wind turbines to new areas. With power densities of over 10,000 MW/km2 in some cases, the actual electricity yield per megawatt decreases due to shading effects. In good German, the one wind turbines other wind turbines take away wind or swirl it to their detriment.
- Technical developments, such as floating turbines, could meet the requirements of the previously competing users and thus dissolve use conflicts into thin air.
Under these premises, the researchers come to 81.600 MW of installed capacity and a generation volume of up to 292 billion kWh at around 3,580 full load hours in 2045.
In doing so, the scientists have used the spatial plan for the German Exclusive Economic Zone (AWS), which has been valid since September 1, 2021. On its basis, the consultation of the land use plan is currently underway. Both relate to the German North Sea and Baltic Sea between the 12-mile and 200-mile limits. In the territorial sea, for which the coastal states each prepare their own spatial plans, there are two wind farms in the North Sea - "Nordergründe" and "Riffgat" - and one in the Baltic Sea - "EnBW Baltic 1" - and another is planned there close to shore: "Arcadis Ost 1."
Which co-use areas the Iwes has identified will be revealed when the study is published, which is scheduled for the BWO summer festival in September.
In September 2021, Deutsche Windguard had calculated in a commissioned study at the Husum Wind trade fair above all the 1250 m2 "Temporary Priority Area Shipping" in the North Sea - also called "Shipping Route 10" - which cuts through the wind farm reserve areas off the so-called German Duck's Bill, as a co-use area and had thus come up with a maximum yield of 60 for 2040.700 MW instead of 40,000 MW in the previous priority and reserved areas for wind power (we reported). Also here shadowing effects had been considered, from -1 to -2 MW/km².
Author: Georg Eble
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