The expansion of wind power is picking up speed again. Given the significant increase in approvals for onshore facilities, the industry is more optimistic than it has been for a long time. Only Bavaria is falling short of its goals.
Compared to the very weak last few years, the number of permits for new wind turbines in Germany has increased significantly. According to the current figures from the Federal Network Agency, a total of 1,466 new wind turbines were approved in 2023. This emerges from an analysis carried out by the SWR based on data from the Federal Network Agency.
The Federal Ministry of Economics announced this SWR with, that more wind turbine permits were issued last year than at any time since 2016. Almost eight gigawatts of electricity output were newly approved, an increase of 80 percent. “However, recently implemented measures are only just beginning to take effect,” said the ministry. “More have been initiated. If implemented consistently, they have the potential for even greater acceleration.”
Expert sees more public support
This is the first time that there is a positive trend after several years of slump. Last year there were 977 wind turbines that were approved by the responsible authorities, and in the negative year of 2019 there were only 477. In addition to some positive laws from the traffic light government, broader public support is ensuring faster expansion figures – This is the assessment of Volker Quaschning, an expert in renewable energies from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences.
But we are still far from reaching our goal. Compared to the SWR he explains: “But I wouldn’t call it a boom. The expansion was below the federal government’s goals and still far below the annual expansion volumes required to comply with the Climate Protection Act.”
The Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE) sees it in a very similar way: “The federal government’s laws are beginning to take effect. This also results in a positive mood in the industry, which is more optimistic about the future than it has been for a long time,” said a spokesman of the BWE compared to the SWR.
NRW is again the frontrunner
A comparison of the federal states reveals significant differences. However, the upward trend can be clearly seen almost everywhere. North Rhine-Westphalia is once again the leader in terms of new approvals, well ahead of the other countries. 364 new wind turbines were approved here. This is significantly more than last year (200) and three times as many as in 2019.
There is also strong growth in Schleswig-Holstein. Last year, twice as many wind turbines were approved on the coast as in 2022 (123). The upward trend is also noticeable in several southern countries. Rhineland-Palatinate (89) and Hesse (82) have roughly doubled their numbers in 2023 compared to the previous year. Baden-Württemberg remains at a rather lower level, but has also recorded an increase of around a third to 59 permits. In East Germany, Brandenburg (144) is ahead of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (124) and Saxony-Anhalt (64).
Only 17 permits in Bavaria
Bavaria, the largest federal state in terms of area, continues to be left behind. With only 17 permits, Bavaria is also well behind the smaller federal states and is by far in last place among the large states.
In response to a current request from SWR The responsible Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs announced that despite only 17 approvals being issued, the development was seen as “very positive”. They are confident “that the Bavarian state government’s goal of building 1,000 new wind turbines by 2030 can be achieved.” In order to achieve this goal, around 150 wind turbines per year would have to be built in Bavaria from now on, which has never been the case in the past.
Business associations criticize State government
Criticism of the Bavarian state government is becoming increasingly louder, including from business. A spokesman for the Bavarian economic initiative “Windrat” complained to the SWR, the “wind energy offensive” announced by the state government is a “toothless tiger”. Wind power expansion is being partially slowed down by the administration in Bavaria and planning and approval processes are being delayed. The Bavarian economy will need cheap wind power in the future. The expansion also creates added value and jobs locally.
The Federal Wind Energy Association (BWE) also criticizes the state of Bavaria. Here, far too large distance regulations for wind turbines “acted as a defense mechanism against wind energy for too long. This made the provision of areas for wind energy practically impossible.” “The availability of renewable energies is increasingly becoming a decisive location factor for investment decisions”.
The Bavarian state chairman of the BWE, Bernd Wust, is now calling for a “Bavarian Wind Energy Task Force”. The current approval and expansion figures remain “far behind the goals we have set ourselves.” Approvals would have to be simplified and the expansion in Bavaria would have to be massively accelerated. “Even in the November tender, only ten out of a total of 165 awards went to Bavaria. We have to increase the pace significantly,” demands Wust.