With only 500 megawatts of new onshore wind energy coming on-line through September, Germany’s pioneering onshore sector is suffering through its worst year since the beginning of the Energiewende. But instead of helping, the new Climate Package actually sharply reduces onshore wind targets, endangering the whole industry. L.Michael Buchsbaum reports 80% Fail Throughout the year, Germany’s onshore wind industry has suffered through an intensifying crisis. Compared to 2018, as of the end of September, the rate of expansion had fallen some 80% as only 504 new megawatts of energy came on line. Moreover, the disastrous change from feed-in tariffs to competitive auctions has left some 11 GW of projects stuck in various approval processes due to tighter planning restrictions. According to DER SPIEGEL magazine, the devastating slump is set to continue as permits for new plants have fallen even further. In total, only 304 new turbines with a total output of 1162 megawatts were approved for future installation. However, how and when they might actually come online remains a mystery. Combining the newly adopted national … Continue reading Blow-out: Germany’s new climate package might kill off onshore wind