The finding was obtained by Deutsche WindGuard on behalf of VDMA Power Systems, the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), the Wind Energy Agency (WAB) and the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation (SOW). According to the survey, 142 offshore wind turbines providing a capacity of 528.9 MW were recently connected to the grid representing a doubling of the capacity increase of the previous year and reaching a total capacity of 1,049.2 MW.
An additional 268 turbines with a capacity of 1,218.1 MW were completed in 2014 but not fully grid-connected by the end of the year. This brings the potential figure to 1,303.1 MW. Another 220 foundations have already been put in place.
“Out at sea we have now officially broken through the gigawatt barrier for installed capacity” said Norbert Giese, chairman of the VDMA steering committee for the offshore wind industry and board member of the German Offshore Wind Energy Foundation. “This corresponds to an investment volume of around 4 billion euros. In addition, turbine, foundation and grid technology exports are also in the billion-euro range. In 2015 we are expecting up to 2 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity to be newly connected to the grid. By the end of 2015, we will see a total of some 3 gigawatts installed capacity online, which corresponds to an investment of 10 billion euros in the domestic market of the German offshore wind industry.”
Mr Giese added that a turnover of about 1.9 billion euros has been generated in the German offshore sector in 2013 with around 19,000 people employed in the offshore wind industry. When the EEG came into effect in August 2014 it established the framework for the scheduled expansion of the offshore wind industry and paving the way for added value in Germany. This in turn triggered massive investment, promising an increase in exports and job creation throughout the decade until 2020.
According to Hermann Albers, president of the German Wind Energy Association BWE, offshore technology has great potential for realising the German energy transition and ensuring security of supply. It is on the edge of a decisive breakthrough and therefore requires, more than ever, a reliable legal framework to ensure future development.
Image courtesy of the German Wind Energy Association
For additional information:
