New Energy
The Secret Behind Germany’s Record Renewables Buildout
As most countries struggle to install clean energy fast enough, Germany tackled the industry’s toughest problem: slow permitting.
Wind turbines at an onshore windfarm near Brandenburg an der Havel.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
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Talk to renewable-energy executives for long enough and almost everyone will complain about the time it takes to get government permits to build their power plants. Unless you’re operating in Germany these days.
“We’re quite pleased,” said Karsten Brüggemann, vice president of Nordex, which manufactures wind turbines. Particularly since 2022, he said, Nordex has seen a rapid rise in the number of turbines deployed and future wind farms permitted.