There is slack in the expansion of wind energy – a new state association for renewable energies Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland (LEE RLP / SL) now wants to provide more momentum for photovoltaics and biogas. One and a half years after the merger of ten Rhineland-Palatinate associations to form a network for renewable energies, the new LEE is intended to strengthen the use of renewable energies and promote investments for jobs and public participation.

Other federal states set up similarly According to a spokeswoman, the new association has twelve members, including the regional wind energy association Rhineland-Palatinate / Saarland, the municipal utilities Trier, the Institute for Future Energy and Material Flow Systems (IZES) in Saarland and the state network of citizens’ energy cooperatives in Rhineland-Palatinate. Christoph Zeis from Energiedienstleistungsgesellschaft Rheinhessen-Nahe GmbH is standing for election as chairman. There are similar state associations so far in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony as well as a platform in Baden-Württemberg, said spokeswoman Gabriele Rau before the founding meeting on Wednesday.

Although About half of the electricity consumption in Rhineland-Palatinate comes from renewable energies. If the political framework for this is missing, there will be no further expansion worth mentioning, explained Rau. This was also shown by the first preliminary figures for the past year.

For example, according to preliminary data in Rhineland-Palatinate last year 25 Newly built wind turbines, with a power output of around 25 megawatts. 2018 there was an extension with twice the capacity of 166 megawatts. In the year 2014 there was an increase of 293, 5 megawatts.

In addition to the slow expansion of wind turbines, the association is worried about repowering – i.e. the construction of new systems at existing locations of older wind turbines. The majority of the wind turbines built in Rhineland-Palatinate by the end of 2017 are at a smaller distance than 1000 Meters to the next closed residential area. This distance was introduced 2017 in the state development program, whereby a distance of at least 900 Meters.

(kbe)