Onshore wind energy: our policy recommendations

EWE calls for an onshore wind energy expansion programme that aims in particular to remove barriers with regard to land availability, approval procedures, and species protection regulations.

Land availability should be at least 2% nationwide. In the northern German states, a higher proportion of land availability is reasonable due to the good site conditions. The areas in the various communities that are suitable to be designated should be centrally and bindingly specified. In addition, the states that have introduced special regulations on minimum distances must repeal them. This will promote nationwide expansion and fair regional distribution of the effects of the energy transition.

On average, approval of wind projects takes two years. This is too long. To accelerate the process, the licensing authorities must be better staffed and binding requirements for a speedy procedure must be established. For instance, appropriate measures would include deadlines for the individual procedural steps, which must also be observed by the authorities.

Climate change mitigation is a prerequisite for nature and species conservation. However, current species and nature conservation regulations partially hinder the expansion of renewable energies. Adjustments are required. For instance, species protection regulations should be oriented towards protecting entire populations and not towards protecting individuals. In the short term, important clarifications are needed, such as a binding quantitative interpretation of an increased killing risk for individual animals (significance threshold).

EWE calls for an onshore wind energy expansion programme that aims in particular to remove barriers with regard to land availability, approval procedures, and species protection regulations.

Land availability should be at least 2% nationwide. In the northern German states, a higher proportion of land availability is reasonable due to the good site conditions. The areas in the various communities that are suitable to be designated should be centrally and bindingly specified. In addition, the states that have introduced special regulations on minimum distances must repeal them. This will promote nationwide expansion and fair regional distribution of the effects of the energy transition.

On average, approval of wind projects takes two years. This is too long. To accelerate the process, the licensing authorities must be better staffed and binding requirements for a speedy procedure must be established. For instance, appropriate measures would include deadlines for the individual procedural steps, which must also be observed by the authorities.

Climate change mitigation is a prerequisite for nature and species conservation. However, current species and nature conservation regulations partially hinder the expansion of renewable energies. Adjustments are required. For instance, species protection regulations should be oriented towards protecting entire populations and not towards protecting individuals. In the short term, important clarifications are needed, such as a binding quantitative interpretation of an increased killing risk for individual animals (significance threshold).

The expansion of onshore wind energy requires a dependable investment framework that instils confidence in project refinancing and consequently lowers the finance costs. For us, it is clear that tenders including subsidies are still necessary to ensure that RE expansion targets are actually achieved. However, this is having less and less of an impact on onshore wind energy, as these projects require a relatively small subsidy. EWE supports the introduction of a symmetrical market premium for new renewable energy plants, through which potential additional revenues are captured and deposited into the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) account. Conversely, EWE explicitly rejects the complete elimination of the subsidy, as this would jeopardise planning security and the achievement of climate targets.

The mechanism for quantity control in the Renewable Energy Act can lead to a downward spiral, as economically weaker or risky projects are not pursued to the approval stage. The regulation should therefore be withdrawn and the German government should work towards meeting the EU legal requirements for this.