Offshore wind industry calls for more ambitious goals as generation grows

Offshore wind power capacity in Germany’s territorial waters grew steadily in 2018, but the wind power industry says it will have to speed up to meet energy transition targets. Last year, 136 new turbines were connected to the grid, adding nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of offshore capacity while costs fell, industry lobby group BWO said in a press release (available in English). Power generation from offshore installations rose 8 percent compared to 2017. The industry group said energy minister Peter Altmaier should allow for faster capacity growth, and that the country’s 2030 target for offshore wind capacity should rise from 15 to 20 GW.
The German government has already increased the overall 2030 target for the share of renewables in the country’s power mix to 65 percent. Yet industry groups say the target should go up further, in line with the falling cost of wind power.