Last year, regulators in Germany approved more new onshore wind turbines than ever before, according to figures from two industry groups released on Wednesday.
Around 2,400 wind turbines with a total output of around 14 gigawatts received first-time approval from the authorities nationwide in 2024, the German Wind Energy Association and the VDMA Power Systems Association said.
That marks an increase of 85% compared to 2023. On average, the industry groups said that it takes just over two years after receiving approval for a wind turbine to be erected and feed the first electricity into the grid.
The right course has been set, said Dennis Rendschmidt, managing director of VDMA Power Systems.
He said that the expansion of wind energy must continue unabated, regardless of how the upcoming February 23 election in Germany shifts the balance of power in Berlin.
Wind power secures the country’s energy supply, reduces the cost of electricity and creates jobs, Rendschmidt said.
Last year, 635 new wind turbines with a total output of 3.25 gigawatts went into operation, 9% less than in the previous year.
Total installed wind power capacity in Germany rose to around 63.5 gigawatts.
Because some older wind turbines were also decommissioned, the net increase in wind energy capacity was around 2.5 gigawatts.
In 2025, the industry groups expect a net increase of around 4.8 to 5.3 gigawatts of wind energy in the country.
According to industry figures, almost 112 billion kilowatt hours of electricity were generated by onshore wind turbines in 2024, accounting for more than a quarter of Germany’s total electricity production and making it the largest single source.
