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2024 is a strong year for Germany's Eurian Energy, and although it won the onshore wind turbine permit award, according to industry data, the upcoming February 23 election will now face uncertainty in the sector It means that you are doing it. .
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the center right, voted first with around 30% support along with affiliate party CSU, and described wind power as a “transition technology.” Masu. Speaking to public broadcaster ZDF late last year, he said he hopes that the “ugly” wind turbines will eventually be able to be demolished as they “do not fit in the landscape.”
The far-right alternative Deutschland, second in the national poll and expected to secure around 20% of the vote, has gone further with rhetoric. Party's prime minister candidate, Alice Weidel, threatened to demolish all wind turbines. The AFD has questioned climate change and frequently dismisses actions taken to tackle the environmental crisis.
Wind power, a type of renewable energy used to generate electricity, is considered important in the transition from fossil fuels.
Wolf Peter Schill, an energy economist at the German Institute for Economic Studies (DIW Berlin), said some of the “wind power generation” during the campaign were “absurd” especially from the AFD.
“AFD is a nightmare in many ways. It can be wind power, but I don't think it's very relevant because it's not in power,” Sill told CNBC. Video call.
Despite the second-place AFD vote, all other major German political parties have so far committed to not joining the coalition government with them. That means they could form part of the opposition after the election.
“What the Conservative CDU does is at least much more relevant to the next government,” Shill noted.
Germany's wind energy expansion
Sil cited a recent report from the German Wind Energy Association and the Engineering Foundation VDMA Power Systems. This said the country achieved a historic milestone in onshore wind energy in 2024.
Europe's largest economy has approved more than 2,400 onshore wind turbines last year, representing a total capacity of over 14 gigawatts. The contracts awarded to onshore wind turbines also rose to record highs, he added.
Dennis Rendschmidt, managing director of VDMA Power Systems, told CNBC that the record numbers highlighted the effectiveness of legal changes and political measures that have been implemented in recent years. They also informed of new dynamics for the sector, he said.
“This momentum needs to be maintained by the new federal government,” Rendschmidt added, according to a CNBC translation of the comment via email. Wind energy expansion must continue without restrictions, he said, in order to reduce energy costs, create jobs, ensure energy supply and reduce reliance on energy imports. He said he must.
Diuberlin's Sil has seen very few potential hurdles.
“All the conditions are really set for future growth,” he said. He said that there could be only one obstacle if the next government slows the pace of expansion due to ideological reasons or lack of understanding of the role of wind power. Energy system.
Giles Dickson, CEO of industry trade group Windeurope, told CNBC that in a possible CDU-led government scenario, the sector should have been a bit of concern.
“If you're looking at a CDU-led government, either way [Social Democratic Party] Or the greenery of the Union, or both, and for us it doesn't represent the storm cloud at all,” he said.
The party is not neglecting on climate change, and at least does not oppose Andreas Reuters, managing director of the Fraunhofer Institute at the Wind Energy Institute (IWES). New German Union, CDU/CSU.
The CDU was previously critical of wind turbines, but Reuters said the party would consider them “acceptable” for now as they are widely trusted and produce cheap energy. Ta.
The challenges of renewable energy
The change in government may not mean that Germany's wind energy troubles are imminent, but the new dominant coalition will face challenges with regard to renewable energy and wind power generation.
This includes an update to Germany's Renewable Energy Source Act. This is a German law designed to allow the country to produce 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade, Dixon pointed out.
The solar and wind energy are key to these ambitions. This is because Germany's efforts to acquire energy from fusion, which is widely considered a highly sustainable power source, are still in the research and planning stages. Germany closed its last remaining traditional nuclear power plant in 2023.
The new government needs to tackle new iterations of the law, he said, suggesting that industry groups need to pay attention to their development and seek close dialogue with the government to shape the change. .
Germany's current goal for expanding its production and use of renewable energy is another area with adjustments. Some of these targets are already “completely unrealistic,” Iwes' Reuters said.
This means that the government must either cut targets or miss targets every year, he said.ing The current plan was “aggressive,” which has helped encourage people to have a big mindset and create a positive environment on the issue.
“On the other hand, we are still growing and growing as we approach 2030. The question is, how do we want to fill the gap? To achieve these goals, this is again It's going to be an interesting discussion for the next government,” he said.
