Facts: Offshore wind potential

More wind

The economic viability of offshore wind farms depends heavily on the quality of the sites. Much higher winds at sea, combined with more advanced technological development, will partially make up for the higher investments needed to build offshore facilities and connect them to the electrical grid. Two decisive factors in choosing sites are the depth of water and distance from the coast. Priority is therefore given to areas which are relatively close to the coast and not more than 30 meters in depth.

Potential

A variety of forecasts indicate that the potential for exploiting offshore wind energy is great. But the forecasts also vary considerably because technological and economic viability is still uncertain. Besides, numerous other interests (shipping, fisheries, defence and nature conservation) all reduce this potential in practice.

The German government's strategy

Under the overall management of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Reactor Safety (BMU), the German government has developed a strategy on the use of offshore wind energy that takes nature conservation and other interests into account. According to this, the installation of 20,000 to 25,000 MW of offshore capacity is seen as possible by 2030. The plan identifies low-conflict areas which could be considered suitable for offshore wind energy installations. These areas were classified as special areas suitable for wind energy after an appraisal of the various interests on the basis of the Marine Facilities Ordinance.

North and Baltic Seas are good places to start

North and Baltic Seas will play a central role in the utilisation of offshore wind energy. For starters, the use of onshore wind energy has already progressed furthest in these regions, a result of which less land sites are available. Secondly, wind energy will become competitive more quickly in Northwestern Europe because the cost of electricity is high in an international comparison. Thirdly, the North and Baltic Seas are quite shallow and close to large urban areas, making them very suitable for this form of energy. The development of offshore wind power consequently promises significant potential for the export of electricity to neighbouring countries and the development of offshore ports.