Dresden (dpa/sn) - The Dresden economist Joachim Ragnitz was skeptical about the federal government's goals for a faster expansion of wind power. The deputy head of the Ifo Institute in Dresden justified this on Saturday with bottlenecks. That starts with planning and approval. In addition, sufficient material and personnel are required to set up the systems and power lines.
In the past, it was always said that it took about seven years from the decision to buy a wind turbine to its construction, said the economist. "They want to speed that up now. But I can't imagine that it will happen so quickly that there will be many more wind turbines in the coming year."
Shortly before Christmas, Saxony had laid the legal basis for a faster expansion of wind energy. "We are creating flexibility and will give the municipalities a much broader opportunity in the future to erect wind turbines on their land. A faster expansion of renewable energies strengthens Saxony as a business location and energy sovereignty," said Energy Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens). In addition, the systems could allow money to flow into the coffers of cities and municipalities. He is glad that Saxony can quickly implement the federal government's area target of two percent of the state's area for wind energy and that planning associations are getting additional funds and staff for this.
The federal government had set Saxony, like other states, to implement the two percent target by 2032. By 2027, 1.3 percent must be reported as an intermediate step. It is currently only 0.2 percent in Bavaria. Günther considers the goal achievable. "If Saxony doesn't do that, we'll end up in a process that we no longer have in our hands. Either we shape it ourselves or we'll be shaped," he repeatedly argued. In addition to former mining areas, forest should also be used for this - but only under strict conditions.
