Record numbers of onshore wind turbines approved in Germany

The first half of 2025 saw a record number of applications to build new onshore wind turbines approved across Germany, while the total number of completed onshore turbines also saw strong growth, according to an analysis from industry agency Fachagentur Wind und Solar.

The total number of approvals to build onshore turbines increased by two thirds to 7.8 Gigawatts (GW) compared to the same period last year. On average, approval procedures completed this year took 18 months, 20 percent faster than last year.

The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia continued to lead the country in terms of approved capacity for the fourth year in a row, adding 2.7 GW by the end of June. This was followed by Lower Saxony at 1.6 GW, the state with the largest existing onshore wind power capacity, and Bavaria at 0.8 GW.

At the same time, an additional 400 onshore turbines with a combined capacity of nearly 2.2 GW were commissioned during the same time period. By the end of June, the nationwide fleet stood at 28,900 turbines with a capacity of 65.3 GW.

Expanding wind power capacity is a key part of the German government’s plan to meet its climate targets, including the aim to have an electricity grid running on 80 percent renewables by 2030.

The country already boasts one of the largest wind turbine fleets in the world, which contributed 23 percent to gross electricity generation in 2024.

Several industry stakeholders and NGOs currently worry about a slowdown of renewables expansion, as the country awaits the results of an energy transition monitoring by the economy ministry – the so-called “reality check”.

Clean Energy Wire. Reproduced with permission.