Five new 3 MW wind turbines needed every day to reach 2030 renewables target – DIHK
Clean Energy Wire
The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) has described the stalled expansion of wind energy in Germany “an alarming development” in view of its planned exit from coal and nuclear energy generation. “In the expansion of wind energy on land, Germany has changed from the fast lane to the hard shoulder," said Achim Dercks, the DIHK’s deputy general manager. In the first half of 2019, Germany installed only 280 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity compared to a total of 2,500 MW in 2018, the organisation points out. In addition, any expansion will remain low in the foreseeable future due to the slow approval process for new projects, it adds. "At this rate, the federal government cannot achieve its self-imposed goals in climate protection and renewable energy sources," Dercks said. For the new target of achieving 65 percent of the country’s electricity needs from renewables by 2030, Germany needs five new 3 MW plants every day and not just one plant every two days, the DIHK points out. "And even that will only be enough if power consumption does not increase," Dercks added.
After years of rapid growth, Germany’s onshore wind power's expansion has almost come to a standstill in the first half of 2019, when only 35 turbines were added. Economy minister Peter Altmaier has invited wind power industry representatives to a crisis meeting on 5 September.
