BMWK / IRENA: The global average cost of electricity from renewable energies has fallen dramatically since 2010.
Against the backdrop of political efforts to (re)introduce stricter control, which would amount to a moratorium on expansion in many areas, this success is all the more impressive.
The lower costs recently identified in a study by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) should actually further promote the expansion of renewable energies. The cost of electricity from renewable energies has fallen dramatically since 2010, while the price of fossil fuels has continued to rise. According to IRENA, the record growth in renewable energy capacities in recent years has significantly increased global cost-effectiveness. In 2023, 81% of the newly installed 473 gigawatts of renewable capacity could be operated more cost-effectively than fossil alternatives. This illustrates how economically attractive it is to triple renewable energy capacities by 2030.
The cost of electricity generated with renewable energy fell significantly between 2010 and 2023. According to IRENA, electricity from photovoltaics (PV) became 90 % cheaper during this period, while the costs for onshore wind energy and solar thermal energy fell by 70 % and for offshore wind energy by 63 %. In 2023 alone, prices for photovoltaics fell by 12 %, for onshore wind by 3 %, for solar thermal by 4 % and for offshore wind by 7 %.
In order to achieve electricity generation from renewable energies in Germany by 2030 on the basis of the climate targets set by the German government, an average of three 5 MW class wind turbines would have to be erected onshore every day. Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Henning, Chairman of the government's Expert Council, puts it this way: "... in our opinion, there are some overly optimistic assumptions" and the climate target will not be met. "If the targets in the projection are not met, the government will have to launch a new climate protection programme."
Back in March 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the current Climate Protection Act violates Article 20a of Germany’s Basic Law. According to Heike Kröger and Ubbo de Witt, managing partners of Projekt Ökovest GmbH, this obliges the government "to protect the natural foundations of life, also in responsibility for future generations". "With our projects, we (also) try to compensate for the government’s neglect of its this responsibility and are very pleased that we were ultimately able to obtain approval for this project in the district of Lippe and can hopefully start generating renewable energy soon. A blanket restriction on wind power shortly before the upcoming elections, as is currently being attempted by the government without talking to SMEs and associations, is certainly the wrong approach".
IRENA: Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2023
Westfalen-Blatt: Projekt Ökovest kann in Schlangen keine Windkraftanlage errichten
Tagesschau: Deutschland verfehlt selbst gesteckte Klimaziele
taz: Branche sorgt sich um neue Regeln
BVerfG: Leitsätze zum Beschluss des Ersten Senats vom 24. März 2021
Tagesspiegel: Habeck beschränkt für Merz die Windkraft
Frankfurter Rundschau: Gerangel um Windkraft: Legt ausgerechnet Habeck dem Ausbau Steine in den Weg - um Merz zu gefallen?
Lex Sauerland: Habeck beschränkt für Merz die Windkraft
Die Projekt Firmengruppe zählt zu den Pionieren der Erneuerbare-Energien-Unternehmen und ist seit mehr als 30 Jahren erfolgreich im Markt der regenerativen Energieerzeugung etabliert. Das inhabergeführte Unternehmen gestaltet die Energieversorgung der Zukunft mit einem besonderen Schwerpunkt auf innovativen Ansätzen in den Bereichen Windenergie, Photovoltaik und nachhaltigen Speicherlösungen. Mit Hauptsitz in Deutschland und internationalen Aktivitäten in Europa, Westafrika und Südamerika umfasst das aktuelle Entwicklungsportfolio mehr als 1,2 Gigawatt (GW). Die Projekt Firmengruppe vereint technische und kaufmännische Expertise und begleitet die Projekte in sämtlichen Phasen – von der Planung und Entwicklung über die Realisierung bis hin zum langfristigen Betrieb der eigenen Wind- und Solarparks. Dabei arbeitet das Unternehmen stets herstellerunabhängig und begleitet seine Projekte über die gesamte Lebensdauer, bis zum möglichen Repowering.
