Often hailed as the showpiece of German efforts to promote renewable energy, until recently there was general approval for the country's offshore wind farms. Now, however, the policy is falling out of favor. German electricity is to become greener. That's the official stance of the government since its decision two years ago to go for an "energy turnaround" - opting to shut down all nuclear plants by 2022 and boost electricity from renewable sources.

It's a decision that has sparked a lot of controversy, as the path towards clean energy is lined with obstacles. Consumers complain about prices going through the roof, industry demands more financial support for the development of new technologies, while policymakers just seem rather lost. Everyone wants the turnaround, but no one seems to be able to agree on exactly how to achieve it. The latest quarrel in this affair is about offshore wind farms.

...snip...

Wind power is to be part of the German "energy mix," there's no doubt about it. But it's not the wind far out at sea that will contribute to German electricity. "The energy turnaround will happen onshore, not offshore - that much is certain," says Matthias Hochstätter. It's this source of energy that will provide the main part of the future energy mix. According to Hochstätter, southern Germany in particular still has a lot of potential for onshore wind farms.

One disadvantage of offshore installations is the geographical conditions. "Unlike Germany, many other countries are increasing their focus on offshore wind energy. But there the wind farms are closer to the coast, and this is impossible for Germany as we have the tidal flats here," Schnoor says. Germany would therefore be the only country that has to erect its wind parks far offshore - which, from an economic point of view, makes no sense.


http://www.dw.de/do-german-offshore-wind-farms-have-a-future/a-16717347