Driven by the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany wants to push ahead with the energy transition. However, the construction of new wind farms often meets with resistance from the population. The city and community day in MV would have an antidote.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The day of towns and municipalities in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania calls for concessions for electricity consumers in regions with a high density of wind farms. “Residents must directly feel the benefit of the wind power that is generated on their doorstep. The best way to do this is through drastically reduced electricity prices,” says Arp Fittschen, energy expert for the municipal association. He hopes that this will lead to growing acceptance for wind turbines.
From the current 0.8 percent, the state area in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania designated as wind suitability areas is to increase to 1.4 percent by 2027. By 2032 it should be 2.1 percent. Significant resistance from the affected regions – in addition to extremely long approval procedures – had recently slowed down the expansion of wind power in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The Citizen Participation Act, which has been in force in the state since 2016, has given some impetus to development. However, it has been shown that while municipalities take advantage of the wind farms, individual citizens only do so in exceptional cases. “Meanwhile, eleven projects with municipal participation have started. However, residents in the affected areas held back,” says Fittschen, who had worked on the development of the Citizen Participation Act for the municipal association. “It has proven its worth, stood up to the Federal Constitutional Court and is attracting increasing interest in other federal states,” Fittschen sums up.
In order to achieve the ambitious expansion goals, however, it is important to make the benefits of green electricity production immediately noticeable. Fittschen therefore proposes exempting locally consumed wind or solar power from state surcharges. “Electricity consumed locally does not require long lines. Cheap electricity would also be the most effective industrial settlement program for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,” says Fittschen.
The energy ministers of the northern German states had already discussed the introduction of different electricity price zones because of the unequal north-south distribution of grid expansion costs, but this triggered violent protests in Bavaria.
In terms of climate and geography, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has some of the best conditions in Germany for using wind and sun to generate electricity. “We already produce two and a half times as much electricity as we consume in the country,” says Fittschen. Since the country also has the highest electricity prices in Germany, opponents of wind farms often find support. This development must be reversed: “We are just noticing where dependence on foreign energy suppliers is leading. The consistent use of renewable energies in the country itself offers the way out. It is technically possible,” says Fittschen.
According to the Economics Ministry, 1,847 wind turbines with a total output of 3,524 megawatts were installed on land in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at the end of last year. According to surveys by the consulting company Windguard, only 30 megawatts of wind energy capacity were added in the north-east in the first half of 2022. In the neighboring state of Schleswig-Holstein, which is the leader in Germany with 233 megawatts of net new construction, it was many times over in the same period. Figures for the whole of 2022 are not yet available.