CAPTION: Offshore wind farm "Alpha Ventus" in the North Sea. (picture-alliance / Ingo Wagner)
German offshore wind turbine construction picked up in 2021 after temporarily coming to a complete halt, an industry group said.
A total of 38 new turbines with a capacity of 342 megawatts (MW) were connected to the grid last year, according to an analysis by the consulting firm Deutsche Windguard. Several industry associations contracted the firm to do the study.
At year's end there were 1,539 wind turbines with a total capacity of 8.1 gigawatts (GW) in operation, it said.
In 2021, there had been 1,501 turbines with a capacity of just under 7.8 GW. That year, not a single additional turbine was connected to the grid.
Most German offshore wind energy comes from turbines in the North Sea (7 GW). Most wind farms are at least 40 kilometres from the coast, the study said.
Wind turbines are becoming larger and thus more powerful. On average, a wind turbine had a capacity of just under 5.3 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2022, according to industry data.
"At 9 MW each, the turbines commissioned in 2022 represent the most powerful offshore wind turbines in Germany to date," the report says. For turbines planned through 2025, the average output is more than 11 MW, it said.
New turbines can reach a height of up to 145 metres to the hub and a rotor diameter of up to 236 metres.
Germany ramped up its offshore energy targets last year. It now envisages an installed capacity of at least 30 GW by 2030, at least 40 GW by 2035 and at least 70 GW by 2045 - in each case with grid connection.
According to the analysis, the expansion target for 2030 could be achieved with the number of bids already in the market. New contracts will have to be offered to reach the other two targets.
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