Green Energy News | March 2025

Germany’s Renewable Energies Expansion in 2024

Germany’s Federal Network Agency reports that the installed capacity of renewable energy plants in the country rose by almost 20 GW to total capacity of just under 190 GW in 2024. The main contributory sources to this 12 percent increase in renewable energies are solar and wind energy. Renewable energy sources made up almost 60 percent (254.9 TWh) of electricity generation in the county, with coal-generated power declining significantly. The country’s energy transition is reducing fossil fuel dependencies and helping reach ambitious climate goals. The solar boom will continue according to Federal Network Agency president Klaus Müller, who also believes that additional onshore wind capacity will further drive Germany’s energy transition forward. Total installed solar capacity reached 99.3 GW, with two thirds of additional solar capacity being installed on rooftops, buildings and facades with the rest implemented on larger areas. Total installed onshore wind capacity at the end of last year reached 63.5 GW and is expected to rise to 115 GW by 2030. In the offshore wind sector, 73 new offshore wind turbines went into operation at the “Baltic Eagle” wind farm in the Baltic Sea and the “Gode Wind” wind farm in the North Sea. In total, capacity of 9.2 GW was installed in the Baltic and North Seas in 2024.

Bundesrat Approves Energy Reform Package to Renewable Energy Sources Act

Germany’s Bundesrat has passed several new energy policy initiative reforms to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) already approved by the Bundestag at the end of January. The package includes important amendments to the EEG and the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) as well as measures affecting the use of biomass, new regulations for wind energy expansion and adjustments to emissions trading. The proposed changes are central to the country’s energy transition ambitions and the integration of renewable energies into the power grid. Changes to the solar market will see the market integration of photovoltaic systems strengthened to improve the management of temporary power peaks – with cybersecure digitalization advanced and storage systems operations also simplified. Biogas plants will also enjoy optimized connection opportunities and more flexible operations as well as secure follow-up funding as the result of a 75 percent increase in tender volume. Combined heat and power plants will also see funding extended to December 31, 2026, to avoid the current hard cut-off limit that will provide the necessary planning and investment security for CHP plant expansion. Future funding will be based on immission control approval instead of later commissioning.

Faster Approval Processes Speed Up Wind Energy Roll-out

Germany has become the European champion in building new wind turbines – no other country builds them faster according to a report in Handelsblatt. Lengthy approval procedures, unnecessary red tape and legal challenges had until recently slowly down wind roll-out – with installation approval times taking four to five years for a permit alone. Today, the average approval time has been dramatically reduced to just one and a half years – with the trend toward even shorter times as seen in North Rhine-Westphalia where approval takes just 16 months. The categorization of renewable energy sources as being a matter of public interest has led to approval processes becoming digitalized, simpler and accelerated thanks to an EU directive. According to the Goal100 non-profit think tank (which has established an online “Wind Monitor” database), the country could even surpass its 115 GW target by 2030 if wind expansion continues at the same rate. Market researcher Trend Research observes that the accelerated approval procedures could soon lead to 10 GW expansion per year. The requirement that almost all federal states designate two percent of their land surface area for wind power use has proven to be a central pillar in the rapid growth in the wind energy sector.

Flensburg Orders One of World’s Largest Seawater Heat Pumps

Clean Energy Wire reports that the northern German city of Flensburg has ordered one of the world’s largest seawater heat pumps. The city, situated at the tip of the Flensburg Fjord on the Baltic Sea and close to the Danish border, has signed a EUR 70 million contract with US-Irish company Johnson Controls. The 60 MW seawater heat pump will provide heating to around one fifth of the city’s 100,000 population. Operations are scheduled to commence in 2027, with the pump extracting thermal energy from the Flensburg Fjord, taking in 3,000 liters of seawater per second for cooling before returning it back to the fjord. Additional seawater pumps are foreseen in the region as part of the municipality’s ambition to become climate neutral by 2035 – ten years ahead of the rest of the country.