Germany aims to increase its share of renewable energy to at least 80% by 2030, but the actual expansion rate is far below the required level. To achieve this goal, the country needs to build 5.8 new wind turbines per day. However, the average number of wind turbines built per day between 2010 and 2021 was only 3.5, and in 2022, it was only 2.2. The government plans to double the current wind power capacity from 56 GW to 115 GW by 2030. A recent study by the Energy Economics Institute at the University of Cologne found that Germany needs to build 5.8 new wind turbines per day to achieve this goal.
The expansion of wind power is essential to meet the increasing demand for electricity, which is expected to reach 750 TWh by 2030. However, the current national consumption is only 569 TWh. The government hopes to increase the capacity of wind power to meet this demand, but the bureaucratic process and public resistance to new installations are slowing down the expansion. The average power output of new wind turbines between 2010 and 2021 was only 2.8 MW, while the required output for the 5.8 new turbines per day is 4.4 MW. Therefore, technical advancements in wind turbine technology are necessary to achieve the government’s goals.
Experts predict that the performance of new wind turbines will increase in the coming years, as demonstrated by the recent record-breaking prototype of the Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbine, which produced 359 MWh of electricity in 24 hours. However, the bureaucratic process and public resistance to new installations remain significant challenges. The timely and legally secure approval of state authorities is rare, and public opposition often stems from conspiracy theories, further slowing down the expansion of wind power.
In conclusion, Germany faces significant challenges in achieving its goal of increasing its share of renewable energy to at least 80% by 2030. The expansion of wind power is essential to meet the increasing demand for electricity, but the bureaucratic process and public resistance to new installations are slowing down the expansion. Technical advancements in wind turbine technology are necessary to achieve the government’s goals, and experts predict that the performance of new wind turbines will increase in the coming years.
