Large majority of Germans support wind power rollout – survey

A stable majority of people in Germany support the continued rollout of wind power in the country, according to a survey conducted by pollster forsa and commissioned by the agency for onshore wind power (Fachagentur Windenergie an Land). Eighty-two percent of respondents said the rollout and use of onshore wind power as part of the country's energy transition was very important or quite important. This level of agreement has remained broadly unchanged since 2015. Roughly half of respondents said they already lived near wind turbines. Of those, a large majority (78%) said they approved of the installations. Of those people who did not already have the technology in their vicinity, 70 percent said they would have "no" or "less serious" concerns about the construction of turbines.

Onshore wind power is a key element of Germany's energy transition and a leading force in the country's renewables industry. But a lack of space, increasingly restrictive distance regulations between wind turbines and residential areas, as well as a string of lawsuits have brought the rollout almost to a standstill this year, pushing the sector into a crisis. To increase public acceptance, 82 percent of survey respondents said it is important to make sure that municipalities can use income from wind power to increase the local quality of life. Seventy-nine percent named cheaper electricity and 66 percent the integration of local actors in the project as likewise important factors to increase public acceptance.