Germany’s economy and climate ministry will present a package of measures to accelerate the expansion of wind energy, according to Reuters. The country is rapidly shifting to renewable energy to cut its use of Russian fossil fuels.

The new law will impose binding area targets for onshore wind energy expansion across states and will open landscape protection areas for wind energy.

If states fail to meet the targets by certain deadlines, the government will wave regulations on the minimum distance between residential areas and wind farms.

The law also provides a uniform national standard for species protection assessment, assigning the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation to set up national programs for species protection and ensure their implementation.

Wind farm operators will have to contribute to financing species protection under the Nature Conservation Agency’s programs, the draft law states.

Germany aims to cover 80% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030. The country’s goal is to increase the capacity of onshore wind power to 115 gigawatts (GW), which is enough power for 34 million homes.

The number of construction permits for new onshore wind turbines fell by 14% in the first three months of this year compared with last year.

Source: Reuters