BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Last year, more new onshore wind turbines were approved in Germany than ever before. Around 2,400 turbines with a total output of around 14 gigawatts were newly approved by the authorities nationwide, according to the German Wind Energy Association and the VDMA Power Systems association.
This represents an increase of 85 percent compared to the previous year. On average, it takes a little over two years from approval to the construction of a wind turbine and its first power feed into the grid.
Net increase in wind energy capacity of around 2.5 gigawatts
The course has been set, said Dennis Rendschmidt, managing director of VDMA Power Systems. With a view to the new federal government, he said that the expansion of wind energy must continue unabated. It secures the energy supply, reduces the cost of electricity and creates jobs.
Last year, 635 new wind turbines went into operation, with a total capacity of 3.25 gigawatts. This was nine percent less than in the previous year. The total installed capacity thus increased to around 63.5 gigawatts.
Because old wind turbines were also decommissioned, the so-called net increase in wind energy capacity was around 2.5 gigawatts. For the current year 2025, the associations expect an increase of 4.8 to 5.3 gigawatts.
Wind is the most important energy source for electricity
According to industry figures, almost 112 billion kilowatt hours of electricity were generated by onshore wind turbines in 2024. This means that onshore wind energy was the most important source of energy for electricity generation in Germany, accounting for more than a quarter of the total.
