Wind power course at stake in election in "cradle of Energiewende"
Windy Schleswig-Holstein, its population of three million wedged between the North and Baltic Seas, has and produces more renewable power than it uses. Yet the lack of power lines both within the state and to the energy-hungry South means some green power is lost because it can鈥檛 reach consumers.
鈥淪chleswig-Holstein is illustrative for the whole country鈥檚 energy transition,鈥� Ingrid Nestle, state secretary in the energy ministry (MELUR), told the 威力彩玩法 in her office overlooking the state's capital. 鈥淲ith a high share of fluctuating power from renewables, we already have a situation that the whole of Germany will face in 15-20 years.鈥�
Nestle works for Schleswig-Holstein鈥檚 Energiewende minister and Green politician Robert Habeck. A that 54 percent of voters are satisfied with his energy transition policy 鈥� the highest approval rating of all policy areas polled. Social Democrats (SPD) with state premier Torsten Albig, the Green Party and Danish and Frisian minority party () currently form a . However, they might lose the majority, throwing open coalition-building in the state, which accounts , the assembly of state governments that has a say in federal law-making.
Conservative frontrunner Daniel G眉nther (CDU), who trails Albig in , promised in the campaign to wipe current wind power expansion plans off the table, increase the minimum distance between turbines and the nearest home, and slow down development to let lagging power grid expansion catch up.听
Wind power dominates when it comes to energy policy, but topics like education and infrastructure development are more important to most voters, according to Wilhelm Knelangen, senior lecturer at the at Kiel University. 鈥淎nd only a small fraction of the state鈥檚 population is passionate in its opposition to wind power expansion,鈥� says Knelangen. But in a tight race, even a small group might be enough to tip the scales and the CDU鈥檚 campaign strategy could prove successful.
The sees the conservatives at 32 percent, with the SPD on its tail at 31 percent. The Green Party defies negative national trends and polls at 12 percent.
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鈥淭he race is completely open,鈥� says Knelangen. If right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Left Party make the 5-percent threshold required to enter parliament, the current coalition might not get enough seats to continue.
Schleswig-Holstein is an indicator for the national elections in September, but the most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), will be even more important. On May 14, voters in Germany鈥檚 traditional coal and heavy industry heartland decide on their next government.
Energiewende cradle
With little energy-intensive industry, Schleswig-Holstein鈥檚 need for electricity is comparatively small.
In 2015, turbines on land and offshore together with solar PV and biomass facilities covered . But because the state exports power on a large scale, renewables were that year, with nuclear accounting for 33 percent and coal for 10 percent.
Minister Habeck the Energiewende a 鈥渏ob motor鈥� for the state, where almost 19,000 people install, maintain and operate renewable energy facilities, and about 2.6 billion euros stemming from the renewables surcharge filled the books of solar, bio-energy and wind park operators in 2016.
The state branch of the Social Democrats was probably the first in Germany to use the term 鈥淓nergiewende鈥� as . The current government in 2016 introduced an which 鈥� much like the federal government鈥檚 Climate Action Plan 2050 鈥� includes emission reductions targets and sets goals for the amount of electricity produced from renewable sources. 鈥淲e like to say that Schleswig-Holstein is the 鈥楥radle of the Energiewende鈥�,鈥� state secretary Nestle told the 威力彩玩法.
Lagging power grid expansion fuels wind opposition
Wind power expansion, however, has run into several roadblocks over the past years. In 2015 regional planning for wind development, which led to an ongoing moratorium on new wind turbines, which is likely to last until the end of 2018. New facilities may only be built with a special permit.
The 2016 reform of the federal Renewable Energy Act (EEG) put a nationwide cap on wind power development and introduced even lower limits for regions where the electricity grid could not cope with the amounts of fluctuating renewable power 鈥� including Schleswig-Holstein. The reform also introduced auctions for renewables support. The move sparked fears that a complicated and costly tender process would deter regular citizens, who now have shares in many existing wind parks.
But the lack of adequate grid remains the main issue. For Schleswig-Holstein鈥檚 excess wind power, the problem of grid stability is also homemade. 鈥淲e currently don鈥檛 need to turn off wind turbines because of the bottleneck from Germany鈥檚 north to the south, but because we can鈥檛 even get the electricity to [bordering port city] Hamburg,鈥� says Green state secretary Nestle.
CDU candidate G眉nther stresses the lack of grid connections. 鈥淵ou know that with every additional wind turbine in Schleswig-Holstein, we鈥檙e currently in no way contributing to the Energiewende, because we lack the grid,鈥� G眉nther told state premier Albig in a .
