From 2022 to 2023, Germany saw installations of new wind and solar power nearly double, a shift driven in part by sweeping changes to simplify permitting for clean energy projects.
With war raging in Ukraine, imports of Russian gas have dwindled, forcing Europe to quickly ramp up its buildout of clean power. In line with EU directives, Germany has digitized permitting, streamlined the approval process, and declared clean energy to be of “overriding public interest,” a designation that shields projects from burdensome legal challenges. It also required states to set aside 2 percent of their land for wind turbines, helping to further accelerate approvals.
“Germany shows what’s possible if you’re serious about expanding wind,” said Giles Dickson, head of WindEurope. “Many more new projects are getting approved than before, especially in onshore wind.”
From 2022 to 2023, new wind and solar capacity in Germany rose from 9.7 gigawatts to 18.6 gigawatts, Bloomberg reported, adding that figures from last year still don’t reflect the full impact of regulatory changes, as many recently permitted projects have yet to be built.
“Permitting is one of the silver bullets of the energy transition,” said Jonathan Bonadio of SolarPower Europe. “When we get the paperwork and bureaucratic procedures right, solar and renewables will have a true fighting chance.” In a 2023 analysis, Bonadio found that Germany is leading most of its European peers on cutting red tape.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Bärbel Heidebroek, head of the German Wind Energy Association, said that Germany “can certainly be a model for other European countries.”
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