Surprisingly positive figures for wind power in Europe.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf Contrary to industry expectations, wind power grew significantly last year. 15 gigawatts of additional capacity will be installed in the European Union in 2022. That is a third more than in 2021 – despite the energy crisis and inflation. 90 percent of the wind turbines were installed on land. The figures from the European industry association Wind Europe are available to the Handelsblatt.
“These are not bad numbers, especially against the background of the current challenges in the wind industry,” Wind Europe boss Giles Dickson told the Handelsblatt. The demand for wind turbines is higher than ever worldwide, many countries have set their climate targets higher and with them the planned expansion of renewable energies.
However, sharply rising raw material prices and chaos in the global supply chains, sometimes with delays of months, are putting a strain on the wind industry. Turbine manufacturers in particular have been in the red for a long time, cutting thousands of jobs and closing plants.
Wind energy: Improved situation regarding approval procedures
The fact that at least in the 27 EU countries significantly more wind turbines have been set up is mainly due to the bureaucratic processes that have now been accelerated in many countries. The often year-long approval procedures had always slowed down the expansion of wind power.
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The EU had already clearly stipulated in 2018 with the RED II (Renewable Energy Directive) that the permits for plants must be available after two years at the latest.
However, the reality is still different in many countries, for example in Germany: Approval procedures for a wind farm here usually take four to five years. In the case of offshore wind power at sea, which will be so important in the future, it is often even longer.
But Wind Europe boss Dickson also praises the fact that some things have improved in the meantime. In Germany, the first results of the amendments to the law introduced by Economics Minister Robert Habeck for the expansion of renewable energies can be seen.
“We see that new permits have increased significantly in the past year,” said the head of the association. But the approvals are still the biggest obstacle to the expansion of wind power. According to Wind Europe, wind turbines with a total capacity of 80 gigawatts are currently in the approval process in Europe and cannot be built until approval is granted.
Due to the bureaucratic delays, the expansion of wind power has lagged behind plans in recent years. “And even in 2022, it was far less than we need to meet the 2030 targets,” says Dickson. For this, the European Union would have to build more than twice as many new wind turbines every year. Especially at sea.
However, Dickson believes that this will hardly be feasible in 2023 either.
More: Germany must build six wind turbines a day by the end of 2029
