The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption needs to grow to at least 50% by 2030 if the long-term energy transition goals of Germany are to be realised. To achieve this, the onshore wind-power generation needs to be increased from the current level of about 70 TWh to potentially up to 200 TWh per year. Considering this background, the research group MultiplEE organized its first expert workshop on “Spatial distribution of the development of wind energy on land by 2030 – sustainability conflicts and synergies”.
The aim of the workshop was to develop a scenario how the amount of electricity generated by onshore wind turbines in 2030 (200 TWh) should be distributed to the federal states taking into account identified sustainability criteria (wind yield, load proximity, nature and landscape protection and distributive justice). The participating experts from industry, science, energy industry and associations exchanged views on synergies and conflicts between the criteria mentioned above. Moreover, they discussed within the scope of a simulation game priority and subordinate areas for a sustainable development of wind energy. First discussion results can be summarized as follows: The attendees agree on a necessary significant expansion of wind energy in all regions. However, the expectations on how much each region has to contribute to the expansion of wind energy are basically different and depend on the importance of each particular sustainability criterion.
We would like to thank all participants for the inspiring exchange of views during the workshop!
The results of the discussion will be summarized in a publication and are available on our website soon.
More background information about the project can be found here.