The slowdown in expansion of onshore wind farms poses a serious threat to the German
Energiewende. In 2018, wind power accounted for half of the electricity obtained from RES, and
is considered the driving force behind the Energiewende. In the first half of 2019, only 81 new
turbines of a combined capacity of 271 MW were connected to the grid in Germany, compared
to an average annual increase in installed capacity of approximately 4500 MW from 2015 to 2017.
There are problems with the system of auctions for new capacities, with the sector complaining
among other things of protracted construction permit procedures, court action being taken
by environmental organisations and residents, objections being raised by the Bundeswehr and
Aviation Safety Agency, and laws restricting the area that can be used for construction. The crisis
is having severe repercussions for companies in the German wind power sector. Some have
gone bankrupt, with the workforce decreasing by approximately one fifth.
The crisis in the wind power sector began at a time when climate issues were coming under
greater public scrutiny, rendering the crisis a political liability due to doubt about whether the
German 2030 climate policy target could be achieved. The impasse in growth of wind power
could also derail plans to decommission the last nuclear power stations over the coming
decade, and especially implementation of the roadmap for the gradual departure from coal
