The German Wind Power Industry

Wind energy has been used in many regions of the world for centuries. In recent decades, modern wind energy utilisation has developed into an important component of a sustainable energy supply. Germany has taken on a pioneering role in the continued development of the technology and in increasing capacity around the world.

Technologies and applications

The yield of wind turbines depends significantly on wind speed. Because winds become stronger and more constant at greater distances from the earth's surface, wind turbines are mounted on the tallest possible towers. A 100 m limit on turbine height, which is common in many German states, still not allows the maximum efficiency potential to be achieved in these locations. Turbines in Germany with a total height higher than 100 m must be lighted in order to ensure air traffic safety.

The foundation of the stable development of the Germany wind power industry is the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which annually guarantees a specific percentage of a decreasing rate of reimbursement for wind energy that is fed into the public grid. Along with the planning security the act provides, it also offers the industry incentives for technological advances whereby considerable reductions in the cost of generating electricity from wind can be realised. At some locations, wind energy is already competitive today. In Germany, the possibility already exists to directly market the wind power it generates; the majority of the wind power generated will continue to be reimbursed by the EEG.

Large wind turbines place particular requirements on materials. German manufacturers and developers are world leaders when it comes to realising and improving wind energy concepts and their applications. They place particular emphasis on simplifying maintenance procedures as well as the use of high quality, tested materials that can withstand the heavy demands placed on wind turbines. German manufacturers have refined two different approaches for efficiently converting wind energy into electricity - geared generators and gearless generators. Currently, the largest German turbines have a capacity of 5 - 6 MW. The world's tallest wind turbine at 205 metres is located in Cottbus in Germany. In 2007, this wind turbine generated more than 5.6 GWh of electricity, meeting the electricity demands of more than 1,600 average German households.

Currently, the majority of the world's wind turbines are installed on land. Due to the constant wind characteristics and higher average wind speeds, the German wind energy industry is also focusing increasingly on the installation of offshore turbines. German manufacturers have been gathering valuable experience in offshore projects at more than 20 wind farms off the coasts of Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. In addition to anchoring the foundations to the sea bed, a particular challenge faced by offshore projects is turbine maintenance. The sea air, with its high levels of salt, also places considerable demands on the materials used. The multi-megawatt turbines for the offshore sector and their components were, for the most part, developed and manufactured in Germany before being tested in small series on land, in order to be able to provide the global market of the future with cutting-edge, "Made in Germany" technology.