Please note: an updated version of this text is available in German. The English translation is in process and will be available here shortly.

Brief overview of wind energy use in Germany

General

In order to reach the climate protection targets and the expansion targets for renewable energies the potential of the various renewable energy sources has to be tapped according to the state of the art in the respective technologies. Today renewables provide 6.7 percent of primary energy and 14.2 percent of electricity consumed. Since the potential of hydropower in Germany has largely been exploited, wind energy currently offers the greatest opportunities for expansion. Technological development in this field is highly advanced, and there is solid experience from using the technology.

Wind turbines use the wind’s kinetic energy, which is created through differences in atmospheric pressure near the Earth’s surface. In Germany wind turbines are exclusively used for the production of electricity which is fed into the grid.

Modern wind turbines operate on the principle of lift rather than the principle of drag. They do not offer any resistance to the wind, but the wind creates a lift when it flows past the blades of a turbine, causing the blades to rotate.

948 million tonnes of CO2 were emitted in Germany in 1990, as opposed to 774 million tonnes in 2007. In 2007 wind energy deployment in Germany already saved about 34 million tonnes of CO2. The share of wind power in electricity generation is to increase to 25 percent by 2025, based on today’s electricity consumption. This step alone would reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent, which is impressive proof of the importance of wind energy for climate protection.

Development of wind power use

A total of 833 new wind turbines with a capacity of 1,667 MW were installed in 2007. These turbines provided 39.5 billion kWh in 2007, which corresponds to a share of about 6.4 percent in gross electricity consumption. Currently the total installed capacity of wind power is 22,247 Megawatts.

In order to keep the expansion of wind energy deployment in Germany at its current high level, the expansion of suitable locations on land and the replacement of old and small installations by more modern and powerful ones (repowering) must be complemented by the gradual development of suitable offshore sites.

Offshore Wind Power Deployment

According to the German government’s strategy on offshore wind energy deployment ( Strategie der Bundesregierung zur Windenergienutzung auf See, in German) an offshore wind power capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 Megawatts could be installed in the medium term, by 2010, at the sites which, according to current projections, can be used for this purpose. If the technology becomes economically viable, it will be possible to install a capacity of 20,000 to 25,000 MW in the long term, i. e. by 2025 to 2030.

The aim is to increase the share of offshore wind energy in electricity production to 15% by 2025, based on today’s electricity consumption. The share of onshore wind energy will be 10% and thus considerably below the share of offshore power.

The expansion of this type of energy is to take place gradually and in a way that is both environmentally and economically sound.

Benefits and costs of wind energy

In 2007 the total turnover of the wind energy sector amounted to 5,7 billion euro. More than 249,000 jobs have been created in the renewable energy sector in recent years. About 84,300 people are currently employed in the wind energy sector alone.

The establishment of global companies has positive effects for Germany. At its production and developments sites the wind energy sector is shaping the structure of the job market by creating future-oriented jobs.

Wind energy also benefits the national economy, by:

• strengthening rural areas,
• reducing imports of raw materials,
• avoiding external costs,
• directly and indirectly creating jobs.

Further positive impetus comes from the leasing of land which can still be used for agricultural purposes and from trade tax to be paid by the operator at the seat of the company after the initial phase of losses. The so-called citizens’ wind parks in particular strengthen the economy in rural areas.