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2023

Global Onshore Wind Market Report

Key Regional Markets

Germany

Onshore Wind Capacity

15.3 GW

GDP (Current Prices) USD (2022)

4,075.40bn

GDP Growth Forecast (constant prices) (2023-2027)

1.22%

Currency

Euro

Country Credit Rating (S&P)
AAA
Renewable Energy capacity (2022)

148.4GW

Onshore Wind Share in Renewables (2022)

39%

Renewable Energy Target

Germany targets 80% share of renewables in the power mix by 2030 as against 47% in 2022 to attain decarbonisation by 2045

Germany is leading the way in the global shift towards renewable energy, with a total renewable share accounting for 58.6% of the country’s electricity mix (IRENA, 2023). The country’s Energiewende initiative is committed to phasing out nuclear power, reducing fossil fuel use, and achieving continued economic growth through the use of clean energy resources. Onshore wind power plays a significant role in achieving these goals, thanks to favorable wind power conditions, legislative support, and policy initiatives. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a collapse in capacity additions and ground loss in the wind energy sector. Despite these setbacks, the sector has quickly recovered, thanks to key initiatives, financial assistance, and increased pressure from the European Commission (EC). The German government has also reformed licensing and permit procedures and adjusted carbon neutrality targets to speed up the transition to clean energy (BMWK DE, 2023)

Pros

  • Ambitious targets of 160GW of onshore wind by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2045

  • Strategic policy support through the enactment of EEG 2023 for renewables and WindLandG for onshore wind

Cons

  • Sluggish permit procedures, inefficient grid management, and shortage of skilled workers

  • High capital cost due to land constraints

Renewable Energy Mix

Source: IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics July 2023

Germany’s current renewable energy mix is primarily dominated by solar energy, with wind power (onshore and offshore combined) following closely behind. Together, they make up around 44% of the country’s renewable energy sources. In 2022, Germany added approximately 2.5 GW of wind power capacity, with onshore wind accounting for 88% of the total capacity added (IRENA, 2023). Despite the significant growth of wind power over the years, it faces stiff competition from solar power, which is in high demand in residential areas. Additionally, the increasing interest in offshore wind power installations may affect its growth in the future.

Installed Capacity: Status and Trend

Trend in Installed Onshore Wind Capacity

Source: Preqin Global Report 2023: Private Equity

Germany’s onshore wind installed capacity has seen slight growth over the years and has now reached approximately 58GW of cumulative installed capacity in 2022. However, the trend in capacity additions shows wide fluctuations, with the highest increases in 2017, followed by a significant drop to below 1GW in 2019 due to bureaucratic hurdles, plant closures, and supply chain disruptions. Despite these setbacks, the industry has made some progress and has shown marginal but steady growth in annual capacity additions since 2020 (IRENA, 2023). This growth can be attributed to government funding and supportive policies, rising energy costs, and the cost competitiveness of onshore wind technology.

Demand Drivers

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a global energy crisis, Germany has decided to speed up its shift towards renewable energy by revising its current targets. In 2023, the European Union introduced Renewable Energy Directives (RED III) which increased the renewable energy expansion targets to 45% from the previous 32.5% by 2030. Germany has already adopted this “New Deal” and raised its renewable energy targets to 45%, with a target of 160GW of onshore wind energy by 2035 (BMWK DE, 2023). Furthermore, in December 2022, Germany announced a simplified permitting process policy for onshore wind projects, in line with the EU’s REPowerEU initiative (IEA, 2023). This policy aims to streamline the permitting process and remove backlogs, potentially speeding up onshore wind builds.

In Q32022, the German government announced a new onshore wind law known as “The WindLandG”. The law aims to expand onshore wind capacity by 12GW annually until 2025 and 10GW annually thereafter (Wind Europe, 2023). This policy forms part of the upgraded Easter Package in the EEG2023 scheme and includes a mandate to achieve an 80% share of renewables in Germany’s electricity mix by 2030, and a completely climate-neutral energy system by 2045 (Die Bundesregierung, 2022). The law also simplifies permitting procedures to enable faster project approvals.

The Onshore Wind Power Act is a complementary policy that aims to remove obstacles such as land availability and local opposition. It does so by mandating that 2% of German state sites be reserved for onshore wind generation and by involving local communities through financial participation and approvals. German states that are unwilling or unable to comply with the law can exchange up to 50% of their designated sites with overachieving states by 2032 (Clean Energy Wire, 2023). This breakthrough has boosted Germany’s onshore wind sector, which has been constrained in recent years by issues such as land availability, project approvals, local opposition, and surging raw material prices.

The government is using a strategically curated auction route to allocate projects and attract investor interest. In 2023 alone, the government aims to auction 12.8GW of onshore wind. However, the results of the first auction round held in February 2023 showed that out of 3.2GW of offered tenders, only 1.4GW were awarded, indicating an undersubscribed auction (Wind Europe, 2023). To make the auction more competitive and attract more bids, the German authorities have increased the price ceiling by 90% to EUR 113/MWh (IEA, 2023).

With the Feed-in-Tariffs (FiTs) fading away and auctions gaining popularity for project development, corporate buyers such as StatKraft, Fraport AG and Octopus Energy have shown significant interest in buying energy from the onshore wind energy sector. Some companies are taking the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) route to enter the energy sector. For instance, in May 2023, Fraport AG announced signing a 5-year PPA with Centrica for a 20MW onshore wind farm in Germany (CENTRICA, 2023). To further facilitate the adoption of merchant wind and PPA, the European Union has urged Germany and its member states to simplify the signing procedure for PPA agreements, which could potentially drive investors’ interest in long-term commitments.

Market Opportunity

Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian gas imports has accelerated the country’s shift towards alternate energy sources, including renewables. In July 2022, the country approved a fund injection of EUR35.4 billion earmarked for 2023, with a total of EUREUR177.5 billion to expedite this shift (Bloomberg, 2022). In addition, the European Commission approved EUR28 billion in December 2022 under Germany’s renewable support scheme to rapidly expand the use of wind and solar energy (EURO NEWS, 2022). This investment is made under EEG 2023, which offers premiums to renewable energy developers in addition to their market price for selling power, while small developers can benefit from guaranteed electricity prices through FiTs. With the EC’s proposals to allow more “state aid,” Germany aims to strengthen financial support for investments in domestic energy transition supply chains, primarily for wind and solar projects. Such support signals a competitive renewable market.

It is worth noting that variability in renewable energy, grid management, and energy storage remains a crucial area of exploration. Since 2015, Germany’s VRE curtailment has been stabilized, but a lack of interconnection capacity has resulted in production-consumption mismatch and curtailment (IEA, 2023). However, Germany is actively investing in grid connectivity and has already implemented smaller-grid expansions. In May 2023, transmission system operators 50Hertz, Amprion, Tennet, and Transnet unveiled a plan to invest €128.3 billion up to 2045 to integrate more renewables (OIL PRICE, 2023). Similarly, the large-scale energy storage market is expected to double due to rapid expansion targets and “Innovation Tenders” launched for storage plus projects (PV Magazine, 2023). Notably, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners launched Baldur Power GmbH as its dedicated platform for the development and realization of renewable energy and storage projects in Germany (PV TECH, 2023).

Apart from this, Germany has a significant repowering market, as about 266 MW of wind power was decommissioned in 2022 (Wind Europe, 2023). This presents a clear business opportunity for OEMs to meet the demand for new turbines. Companies such as Nordex Group (Repowering-61.8 MW and 99 MW in 2023) (WIND INSIDER, 2023) and Vestas (Repowering-66 MW in 2022) (VESTAS, 2022) have already secured substantial orders to repower Germany’s wind farms. Further, companies like Qualistas Energy, VSB, and Enova have received approval to repower wind farms in 2023 with capacities of 21 MW, 105 MW, and 87 MW, respectively, providing renewed focus to Germany’s repowering market (Qualistas Energy, 2023) (RENEWS, 2023).

Outlook

Source: BNEF Global Wind Market Outlook

Germany’s onshore wind sector is poised for significant expansion, with a considerable project pipeline and ambitious targets. Efforts to streamline permit processes, simplify regulations, and address labour shortages through immigration reforms demonstrate the country’s commitment to renewable energy development.

The challenges, including permit delays, land limitations, and variable energy generation, require comprehensive solutions. Advanced energy storage and grid management can mitigate power shortages caused by wind farm variability, ensuring energy security. Additionally, attracting skilled immigrants and easing distance guidelines for wind project siting are positive steps to address labour shortages and land usage issues.

While these initiatives are in the early stages, they have created a positive market outlook, attracting investor interest and potentially accelerating capacity additions. Germany’s commitment to decarbonization, coupled with ongoing reforms and regulations, provides a foundation for the onshore wind sector’s growth. Successful implementation of these initiatives can lead to the substantial expansion of Germany’s onshore wind capacity, contributing significantly to its renewable energy goals.