By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Germany needs to erect 1,500 new wind turbines annually up until 2030 to meet its targets on emissions, German BDEW association of energy and water companies, said on Wednesday.
BDEW chief executive, Kerstin Andreae, said a fast-paced programme was needed, as she called for legal reforms in order to open up more space.
She urged greater public acceptance, as opposition rises to turbines.
According to figures from the wind energy association (BWE), only 420 turbines were erected in 2020, bringing the country’s total to 30,000.
The association says it believes that lengthy planning and licensing procedures are hampering expansion.
The BWE said too little space has been allocated and there are many objections based on nature conservation.
It noted that there were many local protests opposing the construction of new turbines.
The BDEW believes that if targets set for 2030 are to be achieved, wind energy generation on land would have to reach 100 Gigawatts, compared with the 55 Gigawatts in place in 2020.
Andreae said that “repowering” replacing installed turbines with new and more efficient models could generate much more electrical power, but it still would not go far enough.