Wind power in Germany

Wind farm in Panketal
German electricity by source in 2023
Brown coalHard coalNatural gasWindSolarBiomassNuclearHydroOilOther
  •   Brown coal: 77.5 TW⋅h (17.7%)
  •   Hard coal: 36.05 TW⋅h (8.3%)
  •   Natural gas: 45.79 TW⋅h (10.5%)
  •   Wind: 139.77 TW⋅h (32.0%)
  •   Solar: 53.48 TW⋅h (12.2%)
  •   Biomass: 42.25 TW⋅h (9.7%)
  •   Nuclear: 6.72 TW⋅h (1.5%)
  •   Hydro: 19.48 TW⋅h (4.5%)
  •   Oil: 3.15 TW⋅h (0.7%)
  •   Other: 12.59 TW⋅h (2.9%)
Net generated electricity in 2023[1]
Wind park in Bernburg, consisting entirely of Enercons
Erection of an Enercon E70-4 in Germany

Wind power in Germany is a growing industry. The installed capacity was 55.6 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2017, with 5.2 GW from offshore installations. In 2020, 23.3% of the country's total electricity was generated through wind power, up from 6.2% in 2010 and 1.6% in 2000.[2]

More than 26,772 wind turbines were located in the German federal area by year end 2015, and the country has plans for further expansion.[3][4] As of the end of 2015, Germany was the third largest producer of wind power in the world by installations, behind China and the United States.[5] Germany also has a number of turbine manufacturers, like Enercon, Nordex and Senvion.

In the first half of 2021, with 22% a contribution to German electric generation, wind was the second most important contributor, following coal, which was the top producer, with 27%. In 2020 wind was the top generator.[6]

The German Federal Government has enacted plans to expand offshore wind energy, with targets of 30 gigawatts by 2030, increasing to 70 gigawatts by 2045. This move is part of a strategy to enhance the country's renewable energy portfolio and reduce dependence on energy imports.[7] To achieve these goals, the government is implementing measures to streamline planning and approval processes for wind energy projects.[8]

  1. ^ Burger, Bruno (3 January 2024). Öffentliche Nettostromerzeugung in Deutschland im Jahr 2023 [Public Net Electricity Generation in Germany in 2023] (PDF) (in German). Freiburg, Germany: Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Share of electricity production from wind: Germany". OurWorldInData. 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  3. ^ "Wind energy in Germany".
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Global-Wind-2015-Report" (PDF). GWEC. p. 9, 10.
  6. ^ "Germany: Coal tops wind as primary electricity source | DW | 13.09.2021". Deutsche Welle.
  7. ^ "Accelerated expansion of offshore wind energy | Federal Government". Website of the Federal Government | Bundesregierung. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  8. ^ "Germany to accelerate renewables by cutting red tape". euronews. 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-06.