RegulatoryThe new German Onshore Wind Energy Act 

The German Onshore Wind Energy Act is in force and is already being criticised

With the Wind-an-Land Act (WaLG)¹, which entered into force on 1 February 2023, the German Federal Government is pursuing an honourable goal. It is intended to provide a tailwind for the expansion of wind energy in Germany. This is also urgently necessary, because the current pace is simply too slow. Several ministries are outperforming each other with sustained ambition here. According to the Renewable Energies Act (EEG), 71 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind power should be installed in Germany by 2030.² In its long-term scenarios, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs would like to have 80 GW at the start³, while the Federal Environment Agency is aiming for an ambitious 105 GW.⁴ 

It’s about nothing less than a trend reversal

In order to at least comply with the German Renewable Energies Act, between 1,500 and 2,000 wind turbines would have to be built per year. The reality is quite different: In 2023, 745 new wind turbines were built throughout Germany - an increase compared to previous years, but still far behind the required pace.⁵ Considering that 895 wind turbines were built throughout Germany in 2014 and 699 in the following year, a decline must clearly be noted.⁶ The main reasons for the deceleration are, on the one hand, the inadequate designation of areas by the federal states and, on the other hand, their actual usability for onshore wind energy. ⁷

Tug-of-war between the government and the regional state

Everyone now wants independence from Russian gas. But that’s where the similarities come to an end. Bavaria has been on the brakes for a long time with its municipal planning sovereignty. The 10H distance rule - which applied from 2017 to 2021 and stipulated that the distance between the wind turbine and the residential building must be ten times the plant height⁸ - actually brought wind energy expansion in the free state to a halt. Meanwhile, Bavaria has also become more willing to compromise, but it is still difficult to rethink. Critics such as former Minister of Construction Christian Bernreiter had denounced the lack of noise protection and questioned the acceptance by citizens.

Project developers lack consistency

Juwi, an established project developer in the field of renewable energies, considers the WaLG in its current form to be a paper tiger. The company wants more speed in the designation of suitable areas by the federal states and harder consequences if deadlines are missed. The manufacturing industry is also struggling with completely different problems. While fixed prices were agreed in contracts for wind turbines, increased material costs due to disrupted supply chains are creating enormous cost pressure. The competition from China and Denmark, however, is not sleeping and is securing its share of the cake at favourable costs. Nordex has now restructured its Rostock site and discontinued blade production there.⁹

The industry is facing a restart

Last but not least, with the WaLG, the German Federal Government wanted to prevent the German wind power industry from experiencing a similar collapse to the German solar industry. According to the current Energy Transition Progress Monitor, a moderate increase in land allocation as well as a significant increase in tenders and surcharges indicate a possible acceleration of expansion in the coming years.¹⁰ There is great pleasure over the record tender target of around 13 GW of onshore wind power. There is also great potential in the favour of repowering - the renewal of old power plants: On average, newly installed onshore wind turbines are now more than three times as powerful as their predecessors 20 years ago.¹¹ It will be clear whether the wind industry is still driving the economy forward.