Wind turbines installed in southern Germany buffer for doldrums in northern states – analysis
SWR
Wind power turbines installed in southern Germany act as a buffer for times when there is little output in the coastal northern states, according to the climate expert council of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Turbines installed in the southwestern state, for example in the Black Forest or at Lake Constance, often “have favourable wind conditions when the North sees little wind,” where the bulk of the country’s installed capacity is located, the council’s head, Maike Schmidt, told public broadcaster SWR.
Wind power installations in the state therefore would contribute to a secure power supply across Germany, particularly during times of doldrums, the council said. The expert body advises the state’s coalition government of the Green Party and the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), its junior partner.
The council’s analysis looked at all of Germany’s roughly 30,000 on- and offshore wind turbines as well as sites planned for future installations. It found that doldrums differ strongly by region. “When the North and the West see longer periods of little wind, southwestern locations often recorded above-average wind conditions at exactly these times,” Schmidt said.
The expert council found that the state’s target of achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas economy by 2040 hinges on a rapid expansion of wind power. “Power generation will have to be almost completely switched to renewable energy,” the council said, stressing that wind and solar PV would play key roles in this respect. Expanding wind power in the South reduces the risk of grid bottlenecks and, as a consequence, the need for costly curtailing of renewable power output to avoid grid overload. At the same time, additional local generation would also reduce the need for costly electricity transmission lines.
The experts said the roughly 1,800 turbines currently planned in the state must be completed soon. “This includes exerting influence at the federal level to avoid that changes to the support regime slow down or completely halt wind power expansion in Baden-Wurttemberg.”
The economically strong state, home to many manufacturing businesses, has been led by the Green Party since 2011 and have elections in March 2026. Raimund Haser, environment spokesperson for the conservative CDU, which currently leads opinion polls by a wide margin, said his party would work towards rapidly adding more capacity. “We will not stop the expansion of wind power but rather enforce it,” Haser said, adding that the state’s track record of building turbines so far had been “miserable.”
A more even distribution of wind power installations for years has been an aim of Germany’s energy policy, but the vast majority of turbines continue to be built in northern states, which means that production centres in the south have to rely on green power supply from there. The coastal areas usually provide better power generation conditions for wind energy and political support for the technology has been much stronger there, as northern states hope to gain competitive advantages by have more locally produced green power.
