Renewable Energy

Wind Energy

Wind energy plays a significant role in German electricity generation, with a distinction between "Onshore Wind" and "Offshore Wind". There are now separate laws and specific expansion paths for both. For instance, by 2030, onshore wind power alone is set to double (Renewable Energy Sources Act - EEG 2023). To ensure this, the Federal Government has set binding land targets for wind energy expansion for the federal states. By 2032, 2 percent of the land area is to be designated for wind turbines (Wind Energy Area Requirement Act, 2022). For comparison: so far, it has only been 0.8 percent nationwide, with only 0.5 percent actually available (Federal Government, 2023).  

A step in the right direction, yet bureaucratic hurdles, lengthy planning and approval processes, and high costs continue to hinder further expansion and thus prevent the achievement of the goals. 

Photovoltaics
To achieve the goal set in the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), a massive expansion of photovoltaics is required. The installed capacity of around 82 GW by the end of 2023 is to be increased to 215 GW by 2030, representing a total share of 30 percent of renewable energies (Fraunhofer ISE, 2023).

The chart shows how high the daily share of electricity from renewable energy sources was in Germany's daily grid load. The considered renewable energy sources include solar energy, wind power, the renewable shares from waste incineration, as well as hydroelectric power (run-of-river and storage power plants).