Favourable winds for wind power in Germany

In Bavaria, wind power is inspiring new hope despite local resistance, with pro-wind turbine residents testifying to a change in attitude towards this once unloved energy source.

Share:

 

The people of Schnabelwaid have decided. They want wind turbines on the hillside of their Bavarian village, testifying to the fact that, after years of inaction, Germany’s largest region is beginning to embrace this long-disliked energy source.

Wind power in Bavaria: Between hope for the future and environmental concerns

Vast as Ireland, prosperous and energy-hungry, Bavaria has been dragging its feet in deploying the wind power essential to Germany’s climate transition. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2045. Since January, the region has installed just five wind turbines and approved two wind farm projects. It ranks at the bottom of Germany’s sixteen Länder. Things seem to be moving as the federal government increases pressure on communities.

In Schnabelwaid, a village of around 900 inhabitants in northern Bavaria, the planned wind farm is to be installed in the heart of the nearby Kitschenrain forest. It passed by a hair’s breadth in April following a public consultation. Thirteen years ago, over 80% of local residents voted against an initial project for 18 wind turbines. This turnaround is attributable to the fears aroused by the complete phase-out of nuclear power. Across Germany since April, awareness of climate change and the precariousness of local finances.

The municipality is “heavily in debt” and the future wind farm will “generate income”, explains its mayor Hans-Walter Hofmann.

At a rate of 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour produced, he estimates the future windfall at two million euros over 20 years of operation.

Resident Günther Angerer supports the turbine installation project because “what’s at stake is the future of the electricity supply for our offspring”, explains this pensioner, on his way to pick up his granddaughter from daycare.

Opponents of the project are adamant: installing wind turbines while sacrificing a piece of forest is “completely contradictory to climate policy”, according to Karin Bauer of the local Kitschenrain conservation movement.

“Groundwater”, which is rich in this area, “is in danger if ten wind turbines are built there”, adds neighbor Rosemarie Ballwieser.

Bavaria: Hopeful wind farm projects despite local resistance

The team will study these and other aspects during the project’s homologation procedure, scheduled to run until 2024.

According to Maximilian Weiss, the first blades of a dozen wind turbines, each with a total height of around 200 metres, “could be turning by autumn 2026”.

He is project manager at Uhl Windkraft, the company that will build and operate the park. For the moment, he shows them simulated on his computer screen. Production will cover the electricity needs of around 30,000 households, the equivalent of the nearby town of Bayreuth. By setting a target of allocating at least 1.4% of the country’s surface area to the installation of wind turbines by 2027, and at least 2% by 2032, compared with 0.7% to date. Olaf Scholz’s government, of which the ecologists are a part, has left the Länder with their backs to the wall, particularly Bavaria, which is governed by a regional leader, Markus Söder, who is one of the figures of the conservative CDU-CSU opposition.

The desire to avoid offending a population that is largely hostile to the works. For a long time, local councillors judged wind turbines to be unsightly in the landscape. A special rule blocks wind power in Bavaria. It sets the distance between a mast and a dwelling at at least ten times the height of the structure. Even if this lock will be de facto lifted.

The region still seems divided: “a real spirit of optimism” is blowing through the north, where “almost all the mayors are involved”, notes Green member of the regional parliament Martin Stümpfig, elected in an area close to Nuremberg.

In the south, near the Alps and the capital, Munich, very few projects are emerging apart from those supported by a few “villages”, adds the MP.

An initiative by industry professionals called “Bayern Wind” aims to help the regional government make a greater commitment to wind power.

The campaign to renew Bavaria’s parliament in October is well underway: “The outgoing government’s record on wind power is so bad that the CSU will want to focus only on national issues, in order to divert attention,” believes Mr. Stümpfig.

Oceanic Wind Energy Inc. and Coast Tsimshian Enterprises Ltd. secured an exclusive investigative use permit in the Hecate Strait, paving the way for Canada's first major offshore wind project, targeting capacity of up to 700 MW.
German manufacturer Nordex will supply 13 N163/6.X wind turbines to developer SAB WindTeam for a 91 MW wind farm in Brandenburg, with commissioning scheduled for early 2027 and an extended 20-year service agreement.
EDF is delaying the start-up of the Calvados offshore wind farm by more than two years, citing extended adjustments to a drilling tool vital for installing the sixty-four monopile foundations off Courseulles-sur-Mer.
German company NeXtWind signs historic €1.4 billion debt financing to accelerate expansion and modernisation of its onshore wind farms and reach a total capacity of 3 GW by 2028.
Energy company TGS has won a major high-resolution geophysical imaging contract for offshore wind site characterization in Norway, strengthening its position in this rapidly growing market.
Iberdrola Australia secures crucial approval from Australian authorities to begin metocean studies for its 3GW Aurora Green offshore project off the coast of Victoria, marking a decisive stage in its development.
ENGIE begins full operation of the Red Sea Wind Energy wind farm in Egypt, increasing its capacity to 650 MW, four months ahead of schedule, now powering over one million homes in the region.
Tokyo Gas, through TOWII Renewables, a joint venture with EWII, purchases two onshore wind projects developed by Finnish company Puhuri, totalling 74.4 MW, marking its expansion beyond the Danish market.
The European Investment Bank grants EWE AG historic €450mn financing for the installation of 2,600 km of underground power lines and the upgrade of over 1,100 substations in Lower Saxony.
Japan’s Ministry of Industry and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy launch a strategic partnership to develop local offshore wind supply chains and strengthen the country's industrial competitiveness in this energy sector.
Energiekontor AG confirms financial close for the Nartum wind farm, adding 23 megawatts to its owned portfolio and starting the construction phase in the Rotenburg district, Lower Saxony.
Airloom Energy begins construction of a pilot site in Wyoming to test an innovative turbine aimed at enhancing American energy security in the face of anticipated growth in electricity demand.
ACCIONA Energía transfers the San Juan de Marcona wind farm to Luz del Sur S.A.A., a major player in Peru's energy sector, for up to USD 253 million, pending necessary regulatory approvals.
German operator Encavis AG strengthens its portfolio by acquiring two wind farms in Lower Saxony and Saxony, totalling 59 MW, in a transaction with Energiequelle GmbH, thereby expanding its renewable energy assets.
Ocergy officially launches an industrial project aiming to install by 2028 a new-generation floating wind turbine of over 15 MW, in partnership with EnBW, Kyuden Mirai, and TEPCO Renewable Power.
France officially commissions its first floating wind farm, consisting of three turbines with a combined capacity of 25 megawatts, introducing strategic technology in the Mediterranean, vital for national energy goals.
Inaugurated on 20 June, the five-turbine plant of wpd onshore France feeds 18 MW into the grid and unlocks new tax revenue for four Côtes-d’Armor municipalities.
Statkraft refocuses investments on flexible Nordic hydropower and reduces commitments in offshore wind and hydrogen to lower operating costs, amid an uncertain economic environment and pressured profitability.
Suzlon Group receives third consecutive order from AMPIN Energy Transition to supply 170.1 MW of wind turbines for a project in India's Andhra Pradesh state, strengthening their strategic industrial partnership.
The Muir Mhòr floating wind project secures Aberdeenshire's onshore consent, paving the way for the potential production of one gigawatt of electricity, enough to power up to 1.2 million British homes by the early 2030s.