Support for onshore wind energy expansion remains high in Germany
Clean Energy Wire
More than three-quarters of the German population (81%) think the use and expansion of onshore wind energy is important or very important, according to a new analysis published today by the agency Fachagentur Windenergie. The 15-page analysis is based on a representative survey carried out by the opinion research institute forsa, which talked to 1,005 people nationwide in November 2023. “Since the survey series began in 2015, the acceptance of onshore wind energy has been at an impressively high level,” said Dr. Peter Ahmels, CEO of FA Wind. “People are aware that wind energy is an essential factor for economic development, supply security and climate protection.”
This year’s survey was the first time that attitudes in rural and urban areas were compared, with very little difference between them. Results also showed that people mistake the level of support for wind energy in their communities: 43 percent of respondents estimated the proportion of people who had concerns with wind energy to be twice as high as it actually is.
Onshore wind expansion had a significant push in 2023, with almost 50 percent more turbines installed in comparison to the previous year. In the first three months of 2023, more than a quarter (27%) of electricity fed into Germany came from wind energy for the first time. There are still some roadblocks for the technology, however, as local politicians in Berlin announced opposition to more wind turbines in the city, and auction targets for onshore wind energy in 2023 were not met.
