Wedoany.com Report-Mar 7, Offshore wind will be critical to German economic prosperity and competitiveness, however, policy reform will be required to unlock its full potential. This is according to a strategic recommendations document published by the German think tank Stiftung Offshore Windenergie (Offshore Wind Energy Foundation).
The Foundation, together with the central networks in the north, the renewable energy and offshore wind organisations WAB, Renewable Energy Cluster Hamburg and WindEnergy Network have published a recommendations document for the attention of the CDU, winners of the German Bundestag elections held in February.
The document is titled: Offshore wind power for a competitive business location Germany: 13 recommendations for a Germany-wide economic miracle at sea.
The strategic recommendations are designed to spur action in the next federal government, ensuring that offshore wind energy can take its place in driving prosperity and competitiveness in Germany, key priorities for CDU leader Friedrich Merz.
More specifically, the document calls on the new government to not only capitalise on the sound energy policy decisions made by the previous administration, but to also avoid similar failures, such as employing industrial and financial policy decisions for the offshore wind sector that are not far-sighted enough.
Said Offshore Wind Energy Foundation in a release: “These failures are most evident in the design of the tender for offshore wind areas with its one-sided focus on maximizing government revenue, but also in the lack of financing instruments, infrastructure and sensible regulations for protecting critical infrastructure at sea.”
In order to create policy environment that lowers risk and overcomes challenges, the Foundation and its partners call for the following actions:
Political reliability and reliable annual tender targets for cost-efficient expansion and development,
Expansion targets for renewable energies in line with the electricity market design,
Reforming the tender design for offshore wind,
A timely network expansion,
Priority and appropriate solutions for the protection of critical energy infrastructure at sea,
Creation of sensible regulations for offshore rescue infrastructure,
Efficient land use planning based on energy yield targets and cooperation with Denmark and the Netherlands,
Identification of causal links to other policy areas and a holistic strategy for investment and financing,
Provision of the necessary logistics infrastructure,
Recognise offshore wind and the maritime economy as a Germany-wide task with Germany-wide added value,
More courage to innovate and more commitment to marine research,
Creating meaningful responsibilities and guidelines for the Exclusive Economic Zone,
Efficient measures to cushion demographic change and to use renewables as an engine for integration.
According to the Foundation, offshore wind will make a critical contribution to meeting the green electricity supply needs of of industry and business, and will do so at a more competitive price.
Expanding the sector will trigger approximately €10 billion ($10.8 billion) in private investment per year in the supply chain by the mid-2030s, with a similar investment amount anticipated in the corresponding network expansion.
The non-profit Offshore Wind Energy Foundation was established in 2005. It’s a non-partisan, supra-regional and cross-sectoral think tank aimed at developing offshore wind energy in Germany and Europe.
