German onshore wind industry warns on drop in new turbines
Red tape and local opposition stymie expansion despite plan to generate 65% of power from renewable sources
Frankfurt — Installation of new German onshore wind turbines fell sharply in 2018, industry groups said on Tuesday. They said there was little prospect of a recovery without government help. Wind power is one of the most important drivers of Germany’s transition to renewable energy, accounting for nearly 30% of total power generation sent to public grids in 2018, according to Fraunhofer Institute research. But the rapid expansion in onshore wind energy from 2013 to 2017 came to a halt last year due to red tape, opposition from local communities, and uncertainty among operators after the government abandoned 20-year fixed payments for new projects in favour of an auction system. Germany installed 2,402MW worth of onshore wind turbines in 2018, down 55% from 2017, said engineering group VDMA and wind energy association BWE. The groups had expected 3,300MW of extra capacity. “The stop and go must end,” said Matthias Zelinger, MD at VDMA Power Systems, of government policy towards wind ...
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