BERLIN, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany picked up speed in 2023, with around 50 percent more turbines installed than in the previous year, according to an industry analysis published on Tuesday.

       The number of newly-installed turbines reached 745, with a total capacity of 3,567 megawatts (MW), the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) and VDMA Power Systems said. In addition, projects with around 7,500 MW were approved.

       "The clear upward trend is positive, but it has not yet been possible to reconcile the ambitious political goals with reality," said Dennis Rendschmidt, managing director of VDMA Power Systems.

       Germany aims to achieve an 80 percent share of renewable energies in gross electricity consumption by 2030. "Onshore wind turbines play a decisive role in this," the government said last year. To reach its targets in this segment, an increase of 10 gigawatts per year would be necessary.

       With a share of 24.4 percent of total electricity generation in the third quarter, wind energy is already the most important source in Germany, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

       Bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of building land provided by the federal states have been major obstacles to faster expansion. To counter this, "implementation issues must be resolved at the federal state level in particular," Rendschmidt said.

       Due to the failed reallocation of COVID-19 relief funds for climate measures, the government has to make savings to consolidate its 2024 budget. As a result, planned funding for the wind power industry is also currently on hold.

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