Renewable

January 21 (Renewables Now) - Germany installed 1.92 GW of new onshore wind capacity in 2021 which represents a 35% increase from the prior year but this is not enough for the country to reach its climate goals and meet the growing demand for green energy, shows a study by consulting firm Deutsche WindGuard.

The expansion will further speed up in 2022 with new turbines to be deployed across the country seen in the range of 2.3 GW to 2.7 GW, the study says based on data for already approved projects and past tenders. The study was conducted on behalf of the German wind energy association BWE and mechanical engineering association VDMA Power Systems.

Onshore wind power capacity is increasing but only regionally and at a too slow a pace, which is why the measures planned by the new German government for an accelerated expansion are urgently needed, said the BWE's head Hermann Albers. The designation of 2% of the territory in each federal state for wind turbines as planned by minister Robert Habeck is the minimum requirement for wind power expansion, according to Albers.

In his view, it is crucial to take advantage of the opportunities for repowering in existing areas in order to reach the climate goals set by the government.

Other measures that must be taken to support a more rapid wind power expansion include the removal of hurdles in the approval process and better conditions for heavy-duty transportation across Germany. The approval process for new turbines now takes between four and fives years and about 10 GW of turbines are currently locked in such procedures.

The strategy of the new German government, which aims to boost renewables to 80% by 2030, envisages more than doubling onshore wind capacity to exceed 100 GW by the end of the decade with annual deployment set to reach about 10 GW in the last few years of the decade.

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