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> The German Wind Energy Association (BWE) has repeatedly stated that just 2% of German territory would be sufficient to build enough onshore wind to meet Germa

> The German Wind Energy Association (BWE) has repeatedly stated that just 2% of German territory would be sufficient to build enough onshore wind to meet Germany’s renewables targets. I don't know what the limiting factor is for how fast new wind turbines can be manufactured and installed, but it would be interesting to know how many wind turbines it would take to fill that 2%, and how much that would cost. Perhaps it's easier to work backwards from what the target is, what the current level is, and how much energy is produced per turbine. In any case, here is a page with some helpful charts for contextualising Germany's current energy situation, and its historic trends: https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-c...

IAmEveryone 5y ago
I can't give you those specific numbers but since around 20% of power production is covered by onshore wind right now, it's fair to say that costs aren't prohibitive. Costs for new installations have been dropping over the last years almost as much as for solar cells, which I found somewhat surprising (I thought generators were 'old technology'). The limiting factor is primarily land or, alternatively, legal: there is a lot of NIMBYism and more or less any new constructions now needs to overcome legal challenges. In some German states, the law has also become increasingly draconian, famously requiring three kilometers to the nearest dwelling in a densely-populated state where not a single spot actually fulfills that requirement. That problem has led to a move of new production to the north of the country, which is less dense (in more than one sense) and where offshore wind is also starting to matter. This creates issues with the grid, which is increasingly required to transport the power south to where it's actually needed. Plans for new long-distance DC lines have been mired in local fights, which this package is also designed to address.
- dane-pgp 5y ago
  > This creates issues with the grid, which is increasingly required to transport the power south to where it's actually needed. It may not be politically viable, but the natural economic way of solving this problem is charging regions a premium if they require energy to be sent to them, and giving a rebate to regions that are net exporters. To not be regressive, the premium might have to only apply to energy consumed above a certain threshold of usage.

IAmEveryone 5y ago

I can't give you those specific numbers but since around 20% of power production is covered by onshore wind right now, it's fair to say that costs aren't prohibitive. Costs for new installations have been dropping over the last years almost as much as for solar cells, which I found somewhat surprising (I thought generators were 'old technology'). The limiting factor is primarily land or, alternatively, legal: there is a lot of NIMBYism and more or less any new constructions now needs to overcome legal challenges. In some German states, the law has also become increasingly draconian, famously requiring three kilometers to the nearest dwelling in a densely-populated state where not a single spot actually fulfills that requirement. That problem has led to a move of new production to the north of the country, which is less dense (in more than one sense) and where offshore wind is also starting to matter. This creates issues with the grid, which is increasingly required to transport the power south to where it's actually needed. Plans for new long-distance DC lines have been mired in local fights, which this package is also designed to address.

dane-pgp 5y ago
> This creates issues with the grid, which is increasingly required to transport the power south to where it's actually needed. It may not be politically viable, but the natural economic way of solving this problem is charging regions a premium if they require energy to be sent to them, and giving a rebate to regions that are net exporters. To not be regressive, the premium might have to only apply to energy consumed above a certain threshold of usage.