BDEW boss Kerstin Andreae
Berlin The SPD, Greens and FDP have set high goals when it comes to the energy transition. Energy suppliers, wind companies and power grid operators have met with approval for Economics Minister Robert Habeck’s (Greens) plans, but the reality today is quite different. The economist Veronika Grimm therefore spoke of correct, but very ambitious expansion goals. “Now, of course, the question is, is that feasible?” Said the economist on Tuesday at the Handelsblatt Energy Summit in Berlin.
By 2030, 80 percent of the electricity in Germany should come from renewable energies instead of the previously targeted 65 percent. Last year, however, the share of renewables was only 42 percent.
For years, the expansion of wind and solar energy has been progressing far too slowly. In the eyes of the energy industry, one of the main problems lies in the planning and approval times. “Everything just takes far too long,” said Kerstin Andreae, general manager of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW), on Tuesday.
There are many levers that would have to be translated down to the local level, Andreae continued. A lot will depend on whether the government manages to take the federal states and municipalities with it on the way.
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2021 was one of the worst years for wind power in Germany since the turn of the millennium. According to data from the Federal Network Agency, just 460 new onshore wind turbines went into operation last year.
The negative trend continues
This continues the negative trend of recent years. Since 2018, there has been a drastic decline in the construction of new wind turbines, among other things due to stricter distance rules and changed tendering procedures.
In order to do justice to the plans of the new federal government, significantly more wind turbines and solar systems are needed, and on an unprecedented scale. Photovoltaic systems with a capacity of 200 gigawatts (GW) are to be installed by 2030, currently there are almost 60.
To this end, solar cells are to be installed on the roof of every new commercial building, and a solar system is to become the norm for new private buildings. The capacity for wind energy at sea should increase from the current eight GW to at least 30 GW by 2030. On land, two percent of the area is to be designated for wind energy.
In the eyes of Hans-Jürgen Brick, head of the transmission system operator Amprion, it is essential that ongoing proceedings can no longer be fundamentally intervened in order for these two percent to be able to be used quickly. More and more lawsuits are one of the main reasons for the sluggish expansion, particularly in the case of wind energy. As a result, the approval process for a wind farm sometimes takes between five and seven years. “If we succeed in shortening it to three years, then I see a good chance that we will make very good progress,” said Brick at the Handelsblatt Energy Summit.
Clever citizen participation is needed
Experts and companies unanimously see the second major lever in a significantly better and more economical participation of the local citizens concerned. In this context, Andreae spoke of “clever citizen participation”. Of course, those affected should be given the opportunity to express their fears, but “at some point – this is also part of a democracy – a decision will also be made”.
Value creation and municipal participation in wind power must be given priority, “then we will get more acceptance,” said Andreae, referring to the well-known “Not in my Backyard” discussion. It is about the paradox that the energy transition meets with general approval from the population. But when it comes to building a wind turbine close to home, there is resistance.
As a result of such discussions, Bavaria, for example, adopted the so-called 10-H rule. It states that a wind turbine must always be at least ten times its height away from residential buildings. It is the strictest distance regulation for wind power in all of Germany. In North Rhine-Westphalia, however, there are similarly strict rules for the distance between a wind turbine and a residential area. However, the climate targets cannot be achieved in this way.
More: Robert Habeck: “We have to prevent the electricity customers from being cheated in the end.”
