Germany’s net installed onshore wind capacity could decline after 2020 when a 20-year feed-in tariff for installations commissioned on or before 2000 expires, a Deutsche Windguard report warns.
The report said some 6000 wind turbines representing 4.5GW of installed capacity could be affected, while a further 2.5GW a year could also be impacted between 2022 and 2027.
The authors predict that many plants will no longer be profitable because estimated average operating costs of 3.07 euro cent per kilowatt hour from 2021 will be lower than the 2.66 euro cent/kWh average wholesale electricity price since 2014.
Industry group BWE said the capacity volume of decommissioned turbines could therefore outweigh new installations to be built from 2021.
The country’s onshore wind sector is expected to add some 2.9GW of onshore wind capacity each year after 2020.
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Germany ‘risks’ onshore rout
Windguard report warns FiT expiration could leave plants unprofitable
By EBS