10 years of successful offshore wind expansion in Germany
Quickly initiate increased expansion volumes
- 160 systems at sea with an output of 1.111 MW with electricity fed in for the first time in 2019, 1.469 systems with a total output of 7.516 MW connected to the grid - offshore wind energy is always delivering high amounts of electricity more cheaply and reliably as usual
- Increase the expansion target for offshore wind energy to at least 20 GW by 2030 quickly - initiate long-term expansion planning by 2035 (30 - 35 GW) and 2050
- The fastest possible allocation of free capacities of up to 2 GW is necessary to cushion the consequences of the expansion gap
- EU level: 450 GW offshore wind capacity planned by 2050 - technology from Germany as an export hit
- A strong home market is crucial to maintaining and expanding value creation and jobs in Germany and remaining innovative
The expansion figures for offshore wind energy 2019 by the German offshore wind industry were presented in Berlin today. According to this, 160 systems with an output of 1.111 MW went online for the first time last year. A total of 1.469 offshore wind turbines with an output of 7.516 MW are feeding electricity into the grid. “At the beginning of offshore development in Germany in 2010, only 12 systems with an output of 60 MW supplied clean electricity with the 'alpha ventus' test field. Ten years later there are around 1.500 systems with an output of over 7,5 GW. Electricity from offshore wind energy is cost-efficient, consistently reliable and competitive. Offshore wind energy has developed from Germany into an international success story ”, the industry representatives commented on the figures. “The increase in the expansion targets for offshore wind energy decided by the federal government is all the more important. The industry has long been calling for an expansion to at least 20 GW by 2030 and an expansion path that goes beyond that. For this, the federal government must quickly create the legal basis and, as a first step, allocate free capacities of up to 2 GW in order to cushion the consequences of the expansion gap for domestic industry. This is the only way to maintain the domestic supply chain and earlier successes, such as the 2 GW expansion in 2015, can be achieved again. ”The industry representatives from BWE, BWO, the OFFSHORE WINDENERGIE Foundation, VDMA Power Systems and WAB continued:“ Everyone further loss of time leads to additional job losses and endangers the international competitiveness of German companies. The know-how acquired in the offshore wind industry over the past decade is an important advantage in international competition that must be maintained. We still need a strong home market in order to remain successful in the constantly growing world market. "
Create long-term planning security for the expansion of renewables beyond 2030
Due to the long project cycles of offshore wind farms, long-term planning security is of great importance, so that the expansion of offshore wind energy until 2035 and 2050 must be planned now, explained the industry representatives. Otherwise there was a threat of bottlenecks and disruptions in time. However, the expansion paths for all RE technologies would have to be reviewed in view of increasing electricity requirements and the framework conditions adapted accordingly. After the clarity regarding the exit from coal-based electricity, we need an ambitious expansion of renewable energies in order to replace the missing electricity. According to industry representatives, offshore wind capacity of 2035-30 GW is required for 35, and this must increase to over 2050 GW by 50.
Use the EU Council Presidency and Chairmanship of the North Sea Cooperation for increased and coordinated offshore wind expansion in Germany and Europe
In addition, the national and international climate targets cannot be achieved without high expansion volumes. “With appropriate signals, Germany can present itself as a credible pioneer in climate protection against the background of its EU Council Presidency this year. Initiatives for a stronger networking of the North Sea neighbors with joint offshore network planning would also contribute to this, ”said the industry representatives. "The importance of large-scale, coordinated offshore wind expansion in Europe has also been made clear by the European Commission with its policy approach of the European Green Deal." The EU sees an expansion of offshore wind energy to 450 GW by 2050 as necessary in order to achieve climate neutrality within the EU by Achieve 2050.
Germany should also advance these issues as part of its current chairmanship of the North Seas Energy Cooperation. The cooperation aims to advance coordinated offshore wind expansion in Europe in order to achieve cost advantages and energy efficiency gains.
Advance network expansion and utilization as well as sector coupling and adjust the funding system accordingly
In the area of network planning, the network expansion measures on land should be accelerated and all possibilities of better utilization of the existing networks should be used. In addition, regulatory hurdles in the area of the use of green electricity for sector coupling would have to be removed. According to the industry representatives, changes in the tax and levy system are particularly necessary for this.
The funding system must also be further developed in a timely manner. According to the current legal situation, the NullCent bids of the previous round of tenders are the maximum price of all future tenders. There is therefore no way of differentiating future bids. In addition, the profitability of some parks is no longer given due to various factors, such as the increasing distance to the mainland. The reform of the subsidy system required for this would relieve electricity consumers in the high three-digit million range.
Using offshore wind energy for the national hydrogen strategy
In addition, according to the industry, an effective CO2 price is necessary with the aim of making the actual cost advantages of climate-neutral generation capacities visible. The CO2 pricing that has been initiated in the transport and heating sectors is therefore an important first step in creating a market for “green” hydrogen, which is generated using renewable electricity. Offshore wind energy can significantly support the Federal Government's National Hydrogen Strategy.
About the annual figures "Status of the offshore wind energy expansion in Germany"
In the analysis by Deutsche WindGuard, the expansion figures for offshore wind energy have been collected separately from those for onshore wind energy since 2012. The clients are the Bundesverband WindEnergie (BWE), the Federal Association of Wind Park Operators Offshore eV, the Offshore Wind Energy Foundation, VDMA Power Systems and WAB eV
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Head of Communications
Phone: + 49 (30) 28 444 650
Email: l.dettmer@bwo-offshorewind.de