BWE presents expansion figures 2021 for onshore wind power plants in Germany

Source: Energy & Management Powernews, January 21, 2022

The German Wind Energy Association (BWE) presented the 2021 expansion figures for onshore wind turbines in Germany. Accordingly, almost all installations took place in four federal states. 

The German Wind Energy Association (BWE) and the manufacturers' association VDMA Power Systems called the addition of 484 wind turbines with a total capacity of 1,925 MW still too low for Germany's climate protection targets. When the figures for 2021 were presented, an increase of 35% could be recorded compared to 2020, but this was the second weakest expansion year for onshore wind power since the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) was introduced in 2000. 

BWE President Hermann Albers welcomed the fact that the coalition agreement of the new German government places a focus on accelerating the expansion of onshore wind power up to 2030 and beyond. However, the legacy of the old federal government will still be felt this year and next, when too few turbines received a subsidy under the EEG and too few permits were issued, he said. As a result, he said, the ambitious expansion targets of 5,000 MW per year cannot be achieved so quickly. 

"Currently, around 10,000 megawatts are stuck in approval procedures," Albers said. The planned reduction in the minimum distance to rotating radio beacons and military radar could bring up to 5,000 MW of capacity directly back into the approval processes in the short term - and in areas that have already been approved, he hopes, with an eye to commitments from the new German government. The wind energy industry's expectations of Economics Minister Robert Habeck, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (rotating beacon) and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (military matters) are correspondingly high. 

The average duration of approval processes for wind turbines is currently four to five years. This must be accelerated significantly if the energy transition targets of an 80% share of renewable electricity by 2030 are to be achieved, Albers warned. The announced federal-state cooperation committee is a good platform for monitoring the expansion of renewable energies in the states. However, it should also work on overcoming further obstacles to the implementation of projects, Albers demanded. For the full year 2022, the associations expect an expansion of 2,300 to 2,700 MW. 

Annual development of onshore wind energy capacity in Germany (Image credits: Deutsche WindGuard GmbH)

Three quarters of the expansion in 2021 in four countries

Deutsche Windguard GmbH collected the statistics of the addition in 2021. Anna-Kathrin Wallasch, department head Markets & Politics, said that three-quarters of the new wind turbines were built in the four states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein. These are the wind leaders anyway. Other federal states such as Bremen, Hamburg, Saxony and Berlin would have contributed practically nothing. 2% of the state area in each federal state is envisaged by the traffic light coalition as a minimum basis for the expansion of wind energy in Germany. 

"Low expansion volumes also lead in the medium term to problems with security of supply, securing know-how and innovation potential along the entire value chain," criticized Dennis Rendschmidt, managing director of VDMA Power Systems. The top priority continues to be the fastest possible implementation of measures for more land and accelerated approval procedures in order to be able to use the latest and most efficient plant technology, 

"The realization of the expansion can only take place if the transport conditions are significantly improved and sufficient skilled workers are available, especially for construction and commissioning," said Rendschmidt. It is essential to take advantage of opportunities for repowering in existing areas, he said. "This is one of the keys to achieving both the area target and the climate protection targets of the German government," Hermann Albers added.

Innovative new turbines could achieve up to 3,000 full-load hours per year, providing more energy on less area. The industry now needs an acceleration and de-bureaucratization of transport permits for heavy-duty shipments, he said. Also needed is the restoration of a number of bridge structures to improve infrastructure, facilitate logistics and contain high transport costs, Rendschmidt said. 

VKU CEO Ingbert Liebing commented critically on the current expansion figures, saying, "In wind energy expansion, the gap between expansion targets and reality is widening." The goal of making 2% of Germany's land available for wind energy is correct, he said. "In order for this to succeed, restrictive area limitations, such as 10H in Bavaria, among others, but also overly restrictive distances to rotating radio beacons, must be dropped quickly," Liebing demanded. 

Author:  Susanne Harmsen