Wind expert criticizes Reich's reform: "The successful expansion of wind energy is being punished"

taz: Ms. Heidebroek, you warn that Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) is slowing down the expansion of wind energy with two central projects: with the reform of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and with the so-called network package. The technical hearings on this will take place in the Bundestag this week and are expected to be passed in mid-October. What's the problem?

Bärbel Heidebroek: Federal Economics Minister Reiche says that the legislative packages will make the energy transition cost-efficient and that they definitely do not want to slow down the expansion of renewables. In reality, the opposite is happening: projects from the coalition agreement, such as more sensible use of the networks or more digitalization, are missing from their draft laws. Instead, it now says: There are certain areas in which the network expansion has not taken place sufficiently. In these cases, wind turbines should no longer receive compensation in the event of a shutdown as before. The successful expansion of wind energy is being punished because the grid expansion has not kept pace.

taz: This is the so-called redispatch reservation, one of the most controversial points of the energy reform: Today, wind turbine operators receive compensation if the system is shut down, for example because the grid can no longer absorb electricity. That should change. Why is that bad?

Bärbel Heidebroek, born in 1969, is President of the Federal Wind Energy Association and managing partner of the Landwind Group in Gevensleben, Lower Saxony.

Heidebroek: Then wind turbines become uneconomical. If operators have to forgo up to 20 percent of their income without replacement, many projects can no longer be realized. Because banks are then no longer willing to finance them. There should also be a so-called active power limitation nationwide. This means that the entire capacity of a wind farm should no longer be connected to the grid. This should apply from 2027, including for projects that were planned and financed under different conditions. If laws intervene retroactively in investments, then we get absolute investment uncertainty. This is not acceptable.

taz: But doesn't the problem of the lack of network capacity have to be solved?

Heidebroek: We can solve this more intelligently. We are currently not allowed to generate electricity that cannot be transported on the grid. We are not allowed to use it or save it. This is a point that we do not understand at all. If we use storage, electricity from renewable sources can be fed into the grid when needed, thus reducing the price of electricity. But we are forbidden to do that. The new laws will not change this madness as things currently stand.

Heidebroek: Yes, that would be it. Network operators also confirm this to us. You would need a new process for this. So this is work that is avoided.

taz: Storage that releases energy when needed would make the electricity system more resilient. Why is Ms. Reiche against it?

Heidebroek: It means a certain amount of effort for the network operators. If everything stays as planned, it will be easier for them. We don't understand why Ms. Reiche doesn't say: "You can think about new business models, integrate storage and supply customers directly." That would be something from which an entire region would benefit. It is absolutely incomprehensible why the minister is blocking this.

taz: Are there any signs that the Bundestag will change this regulation and allow storage on wind turbines?

Heidebroek: I have never had as many conversations with MPs as I have in the past six months. We see that in many places there is a lack of understanding among parliamentarians about the legislative package and an openness to changes. We all have a common goal: We want to strengthen the energy transition and the business location. However, too often a contrast is made between renewable energies and industry. In reality it doesn't exist. On the contrary: We can only maintain industry in Germany if we intelligently generate cost-effective and reliable electricity using renewables with battery storage and flexibility.

taz: The Federal Ministry of Economics says that the electricity supply is not there to guarantee wind turbine operators double-digit returns.

Heidebroek: The days of such high returns are long gone. In the past, the EEG ensured high revenues, as is the case with any start-up financing for a new technology. Today the profit margins are slim. But I have the feeling that many politicians have not even noticed what has happened in the area of ​​renewable energies and how much prices have fallen. And to be honest, at the moment we still need the EEG funding primarily for the bank.

Heidebroek: If a wind farm is awarded a contract through a tender, the EEG guarantees revenue for 20 years - little revenue now, but guaranteed. Banks can base their financing on this. If this guarantee is undermined by the new laws, many projects will be left without bank financing and can no longer be implemented.

taz: Has the federal government included the energy industry in the discussion about the innovations?

Heidebroek: We find it extremely regrettable that the federal government did not listen to those affected. Previous federal governments have brought everyone involved to the table and listened to practical opinions, then weighed them up and made a more or less good law out of them. But that hasn't happened now. Ignoring the knowledge and needs of the industry in this way is a serious mistake.

taz: A hard break: Wind energy has become part of the right-wing extremist culture war. After the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, your association warned that wind expansion in this state could now be stopped by an AfD government. What exactly are you afraid of?

Heidebroek: An AfD state government could not abolish wind energy. But it could block further expansion through delaying tactics, such as not responding to inquiries or not granting permits. At this level she can do a lot of damage.

taz: Wind energy is particularly well developed in the Stendal district, the Börde district and the Salzland district, for example. The AfD results were particularly high. Is there a connection?

Heidebroek: I don't think people voted for AfD because there is a lot of wind energy in these regions. These are structurally weak regions. There is great general discontent there because of the economic situation and the lack of prospects. It's paradoxical: in Saxony-Anhalt in particular, one could see an opportunity in wind energy.

Heidebroek: You can develop prospects with the help of renewable energies and thus attract industrial companies. There is already 7 gigawatts of installed wind energy capacity in Saxony-Anhalt, which is a location advantage. An additional 2.3 gigawatts are planned. The country could use it to generate a lot of cheap electricity and attract other industries. The chemical sector, which is large in Saxony-Anhalt, could also benefit from this. A state government would have to see wind energy as an opportunity to move the country forward. She could say: We create jobs here, we get trade taxes and strengthen municipal finances.

taz: AfD leader Alice Weidel announced some time ago that her party would tear down wind turbines. For the extreme right and also many conservatives, wind energy is a trigger point. Why?

Heidebroek: Because wind power can be wonderfully combined with alleged left-green ideology, with meat bans and similar culture war topics. In right-wing narratives, all of this can be lumped together in order to fundamentally question this important energy production. This extends to conspiracy myths. It doesn't seem to matter at all what economic consequences for the region or the country would be associated with a halt to expansion. The fact that wind energy has long been the most important source of electricity in Germany and that we urgently need clean domestic energy is ignored.

taz: What can wind energy advocates do about it?

Heidebroek: We want to let the local population participate in projects. These can be a wide variety of models. In many places, community wind farms have been established in which the local population can participate. For example, there are subsidies for the local outdoor pool or there are cheap electricity tariffs. This contributes to acceptance. And it is also possible to attract industry and create jobs with the help of renewable energies.

taz: Does that mean buying the favor of wind power opponents?

Heidebroek: That's not the point. People feel disturbed when something is presented to them that only benefits others. But when they get the chance to participate in the success of the energy transition themselves, things are different. This has nothing to do with buying. It's about making visible the enormous opportunities that renewables create locally and for the entire country.