The year 2024 was characterized by an unprecedented development in the number of approvals for wind turbines: 2,405 turbines with a capacity of 14,056 megawatts (MW) were newly approved nationwide. This represents an increase of 85 percent compared to the previous year. 30 percent of the approved capacity comes from North Rhine-Westphalia (4,044 MW), making the state the clear leader in the state rankings. Despite the exceptionally high number of approval notices, the processing times in most federal states fell significantly. On average, the approval procedures took 23 months - ten percent faster than in 2023.
The abundance of new approvals also had an impact on the tenders. 90 percent of the auction volume was awarded for 11 GW of capacity. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase of a good 70 percent.
A total of 635 new plants with a capacity of 3,251 MW were connected to the grid. Here too, North Rhine-Westphalia leads the state statistics with 748 MW gross additions, followed by Lower Saxony (673 MW) and Schleswig-Holstein (574 MW). Commissioning was down nine percent compared to 2023. On the other hand, the repowering share increased: 37% of the installed capacity was realized as a replacement for old turbines. Accordingly, the decommissioning figures also reached a new high: 555 old turbines with 706 MW were registered as finally decommissioned in 2024.
The evaluation was carried out for the first time by the Wind and Solar Agency on behalf of the BWE and VDMA Power Systems associations.
Stand
15.01.2025
Analyse
