Guaranteed capacity of German wind power much lower than installed capacity, association says

Energy industry association VGB Power Tech says that the guaranteed capacity of German wind power is less than one percent of the 56 gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity in the country, Klaus Stratmann writes in the Handelsblatt. According to the association, production data from 2016 shows that while the nearly 30,000 wind turbines contribute a total share of nearly 19 percent to the German power mix, they do not provide a comparable amount at any given time. “The message behind this is clear: even if wind power is expanded quickly, there always needs to be backup-capacity,” Stratmann writes. VGB Power Tech says looking at wind power production patterns across Europe showed that phases of high and low output tend to occur in many countries at the same time, making clean power imports to Germany during times of little wind less feasible.

Read the article in German here.

See the CLEW dossier Onshore wind power in Germany and the factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future? for background.