- Goldschmidt emphasizes that the energy transition holds greater significance than the notion of free will.
Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt is planning to accelerate the growth of wind energy in Schleswig-Holstein. "I value the requirement for the energy transition over individuals' concern about their unobstructed view of the landscape from their living room," the Green Party representative told the German Press Agency. "As a politician, I focus on the public interest, and a clean and secure energy supply is vital for that," he stated.
Goldschmidt praised the "wind peace" in Schleswig-Holstein. "I find it appalling when wind power becomes a political issue in other federal states. People consume electricity from the socket without issues, but oppose wind turbines with sometimes strange arguments," he pointed out. He advised discussing renewable energy expansion in a reasonable and factual manner.
Decrease in Approvals
The state government aims to have 15 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind power capacity on 3% of the state's area by 2030. As of the end of June, there were 3,170 wind turbines installed with a total capacity of approximately 8.6 GW. A further 436 plants with a combined capacity of over 2.3 GW were pending commissioning. When compared to conventional power plants, it's important to recognize that the output of wind turbines depends on wind conditions.
However, expansion has decreased in the first half of the year compared to the previous year. With an addition of 247 megawatts (MW) through 49 plants, Schleswig-Holstein only placed third behind North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, according to earlier data from the German WindGuard GmbH. In the first half of 2023, 125 wind energy plants with a total capacity of 597 MW were established.
Goldschmidt anticipates numerous approvals
The decrease was also due to weather conditions and supply chain issues, Goldschmidt explained. "It can't be due to approvals, as we've granted them at record speed again." After permitting 1,200 MW in 2023, around 700 MW from approximately 125 plants have already been approved this year. "We have a good chance of having another record year for wind power approvals," he said. The ball is now in the court of the economy.
"The old plants have an average capacity of 2.7 MW, while the new ones are 5.5 MW," Goldschmidt said. "We've doubled the capacity per plant with new technologies, which is good news for me as an environmental minister because we need fewer mills to achieve the same output." He takes criticism of expansion seriously. "Wind power is also transforming our homeland. Our cultural landscape is becoming increasingly shaped by wind turbines and solar installations. I want this transformation to be well-planned," he said. The new state wind plan is also less legally vulnerable.
Solar Energy
The expansion of solar energy is also ongoing. The total capacity of the 150,000 plants is now 3.4 GW, according to ministry figures, with more than half being on buildings. "We've seen a growth of 257 MW in the first half of the year," Goldschmidt said. The number of new approvals issued in the same period was 125 wind power plants with an installed capacity of just over 700 MW.
"This expansion has triggered an investment volume of 530 million euros, with an additional 122 million euros through changes to existing plants," Goldschmidt said. The energy transition is thus stimulating the economy in Schleswig-Holstein.
The Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt emphasized the importance of accelerating the 'energy transition' across Schleswig-Holstein, noting that it outweighs individual concerns about landscape views. Goldschmidt also highlighted his plan to secure numerous approvals for wind power expansion this year, aiming for a record year in wind power approvals.
