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According to information from the State Wind Energy Association, around 50 wind turbines are currently connected to the grid throughout the Stuttgart region. Among them, however, are more than 20 older plants that will probably soon be taken off the grid, according to chairwoman Julia Wolf, as their remuneration period under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) ends after 20 years and they are usually technically outdated.
According to information from the State Wind Energy Association, around 50 wind turbines are currently connected to the grid throughout the Stuttgart region. Among them, however, are more than 20 older plants that will probably soon be taken off the grid, according to chairwoman Julia Wolf, as their remuneration period under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) ends after 20 years and they are usually technically outdated.
1,000 new wind turbines in ten years - this was the goal set by the green-red state government in 2011. But this was missed by far. Expansion is also faltering in the Stuttgart region. Why?
In 2015, the Verband Region Stuttgart designated special areas for wind turbines. By the beginning of March 2021, however, new wind turbines had only been built in 3 of a total of 41 of these so-called priority areas.
The largest newly built wind farm in the Stuttgart region is Lauterstein (Göppingen district) with 16 wind turbines. According to the Verband Region Stuttgart, three new facilities were built on the Tegelberg (Göppingen district) and - see photo above - Goldboden-Winterbach (Rems-Murr district).
According to information from the …
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1,000 new wind turbines in ten years - this was the goal set by the green-red state government in 2011. But this was missed by far. Expansion is also faltering in the Stuttgart region. Why?
In 2015, the Verband Region Stuttgart designated special areas for wind turbines. By the beginning of March 2021, however, new wind turbines had only been built in 3 of a total of 41 of these so-called priority areas.
The largest newly built wind farm in the Stuttgart region is Lauterstein (Göppingen district) with 16 wind turbines. According to the Verband Region Stuttgart, three new facilities were built on the Tegelberg (Göppingen district) and - see photo above - Goldboden-Winterbach (Rems-Murr district).
According to information from the State Wind Energy Association, around 50 wind turbines are currently connected to the grid throughout the Stuttgart region. Among them, however, are more than 20 older plants that will probably soon be taken off the grid, according to chairwoman Julia Wolf, as their remuneration period under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) ends after 20 years and they are usually technically outdated.
According to Julia Wolf, wind energy is the cheapest and most efficient renewable energy - even ahead of solar energy. In order to achieve the Paris climate targets, their expansion is urgently needed - also in southern Germany. The Wind Atlas Baden-Württemberg shows which areas are particularly suitable. But wind turbines can not only be built in places with very strong winds, says Julia Wolf. It calls for the approval and construction of at least 100 new wind turbines per year nationwide. However, there was a lack of designated areas and swift approval procedures. As of March 2021, around 730 wind turbines are connected to the grid nationwide.
The planning and approval procedures for wind turbines usually take several years. It could happen that permits take so long that until they are finally granted, the turbines are no longer available, according to the head of the wind industry association. Overall, project development is becoming increasingly complex and complicated, and the financial risk is also increasing with increasingly large plants, according to Julia Wolf.
In Ingersheim (Ludwigsburg district), an energy cooperative built a wind turbine in 2012. It has generated 27 terawatt hours of electricity in just under nine years of operation. This corresponds to the needs of 1,600 households, calculates CEO Dieter Hallmann. As planned, a dividend could be distributed to the cooperative members every year and according to the current status, the wind turbine will have paid for itself financially after 13 years. However, the wind turbine in Ingersheim is still the only one in the entire district of Ludwigsburg.
Wind turbines polarize, says Thomas Kiwitt, Director at the Verband Region Stuttgart, whose association has published detailed documents on the status of the individual procedures and the respective statements on the Internet.
The top regional planner calls for clear signals from politicians. Because the energy transition also means that "burdens are associated with it somewhere". There are "no more large power plants, but many small interventions in the landscape".