Wind power is an important pillar in Germany’s energy policy turnaround: According to the German government, the resource should cover 65 percent of German electricity needs by 2030, along with solar, hydropower and biomass. In a recent study, Dr. Christopher Jung and Dr. Dirk Schindler from the University of Freiburg show that it will be possible to cover 40 percent of the current electricity consumption with wind energy alone by the year 2030.
The prerequisite is that the operators distribute the plants optimally on the German mainland. To estimate usable wind energy, the researchers have developed a new three-dimensional model. As a basis for their calculation, they used the number of new installations in 2017. If it remains constant until 2030, Germany can reach the calculated value. The team recently published its findings in the journal Energy Conversion and Management.
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