Bureaucracy, supply chains and skills shortage curb Germany’s renewables shift – report

The lack of cooperation between authorities, supply chain problems, rising costs, a lack of skilled workers and legal issues are the main culprits for Germany’s failure to massively speed up the renewables roll-out, business daily Handelsblatt reports. Wind energy experts said many municipalities, which have to identify the necessary areas and issue permits for the construction of new turbines, were still in the way of boosting wind power. They also pointed to limited production capacities and voiced scepticism over whether these problems can be overcome over the coming years. The solar industry is plagued by supply problems stemming from China, which partly result in much slower delivery times, industry representatives said. They were also sceptical  of the government’s ability to reach its targets. Skills shortage affects not only the technicians and engineers who work for renewable operators, but also the approving authorities, and the problem is particularly acute for the expansion of offshore wind power, according to the article.

The expansion of renewables is widely considered the most important lever for the progress of Germany’s landmark energy transition, as emission-free power will be key for decarbonising sectors from transport to industry and heating. The government has raised the 2030 target for the share of renewables in the country’s power consumption to 80 percent from a previous target of 65 percent. Germany currently generates about half of the power it uses from renewable sources. From 2025, Germany plans to install 10 gigawatts of wind power and 22 gigawatts of solar power, which would constitute a massive increase over previous expansion rates. But in contrast to the targets, the roll-out has slowed in recent years.