Net onshore wind capacity in Germany increased by almost 1.9GW in the first half of the year, up 73% on the same period in 2015, according to two wind industry associations.
Some 1892MW was installed in the first six months of 2016, compared with 1093MW in the first half of 2015, the German wind energy association BWE and VDMA Power Systems said.
The growth was driven by the allocation of suitable sites and priority areas, the associations added.
Gross capacity increased by 2053MW, with 161MW the result of turbine repowering.
The availability of space was the reason for some significant regional variations, said BWE and VDMA.
Land-locked states Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westfalia added 254MW and 249MW, ranking third and fourth behind Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, which added 421MW and 322MW, respectively.
BWE president Hermann Albers said: “The German market is concentrating less on the coastal states, and developing in an increasingly balanced manner.”
The associations predict a net volume of between 4GW and 4.4GW to be added in 2016, taking into account projects that have already been granted planning permission.
By the end of May, projects had been approved with a total capacity of some 3.2GW.
A similar level of growth is expected in 2017, the associations said.
Image: a wind farm in Germany (Gamesa)
