Germany’s installed onshore wind capacity increased by 591MW in the first half of 2020, according to figures collected by Deutsche WindGuard on behalf of BWE and VDMA Power Systems.
The increase is double that installed in the same period in 2019, when 287MW of new onshore capacity was built in the country.
The associations forecast an addition of at least 1.5GW for the whole of 2020, but said the installation rate for the first half of 2020 still remains “too low”.
VDMA Power Systems managing director Matthias Zelinger said: “Over the past few months, the federal government has repeatedly made it clear that a sustainable increase in energy supply with renewable energies is wanted.
“The German government’s hydrogen strategy sees an additional need for renewable energy plants with a total output of up to 5GW including onshore wind energy for the generation of green hydrogen by 2030.
“It would be a contradiction to formulate ambitious climate targets on the one hand, but not facilitate the necessary expansion of renewable generation, on the other.
“Legislators, therefore, urgently need to create and enforce a coherent framework for action in order to stimulate investment and secure the competitive edge of the wind industry in Germany in the long term and to avoid a power gap in renewable energy.”
By the mid-2020s, EEG funding for around 15,000 onshore wind turbines will comprise a total output of around 16GW.
BWE and VDMA Power Systems have called for a clarity on a repowering strategy geared towards the energy transition.