For years, residents of Germany’s wind-rich coastal communities have watched the nation’s renewable energy ambitions stall. In 2021, not a single new offshore wind turbine was added to the grid. But a sweeping new government package, unveiled this week, promises to change that—and in the process, reshape the lives of people from the North Sea coast to the Bavarian countryside.
The 600-page “Easter package,” approved by the Cabinet, declares the installation of renewable energy to be of “overriding public interest.” This is a trump card meant to cut through Germany’s often lengthy bureaucratic processes—a move that could speed up approvals for projects that have languished for years due to complex rules and changes in feed-in subsidies.
Ambitious targets for wind and solar
Europe’s biggest economy aims to generate almost all of its electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2035, more than doubling the current rate in just 13 years. To get there, the government has set concrete goals: offshore wind capacity will rise from under 8 gigawatts currently to 30 GW by 2030, then to 40 GW by 2035. The goal for 2045, by when Germany aims to achieve “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions, is 70 GW.
On land, the target is even more ambitious: more than doubling onshore wind capacity to 115 GW by 2030. This includes reducing the minimum distance to certain radio beacons and weather radars, a change that could open up new areas for turbines.
For solar, the government wants to almost quadruple existing capacity to 215 GW by the next decade. Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck told reporters in Berlin, “In sum, this package will lead to a significant increase in renewable energy.” But he acknowledged the enormity of the task, saying Germany will likely miss its short-term targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions due to failures of the past. “It’s the precondition,” he said of the new measures, “not the solution for everything.”
Energy independence and the war in Ukraine
The push for renewable energy is not just about environmental goals. It is also about becoming independent of energy imports from hostile nations such as Russia. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the risks of dependence on foreign energy, and Germany is now moving to reduce that vulnerability.
Neighboring Austria, which is even more dependent on Russian gas than Germany, has announced subsidies worth about 300 million euros ($327 million) to install additional renewable energy facilities. Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler said every wind turbine or solar power facility “frees us from Vladimir Putin’s grip.” Further measures will be agreed upon in the coming months, and many must be approved by parliament before they come into force.
The new center-left government, which took power in December, is pressing ahead with the “Easter package” as a foundation for future action.
What to watch next
As the package moves through parliament, observers will be watching for additional details on how the government plans to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and meet its ambitious targets. The coming months will bring further measures, and the success of the plan will depend on whether the “overriding public interest” designation can truly accelerate approvals. For the communities that have waited years for new wind farms and solar arrays, the clock is now ticking.
