Berlin Senate announces eight new locations for wind turbines!

Berlin Senate announces eight new locations for wind turbines!

Berlin, Deutschland - The Berlin Senate today decided to reserve eight locations for the construction of wind turbines in the capital. This measure is part of the legally required use of wind energy, which must cover a certain proportion of the area of ​​Berlin. The Senate thus implemented a clear step towards the implementation of the Wind-am-Land law of 2022, which obliges city-states to show a share of 0.5 percent of its space for wind energy by 2032. According to the current legislation, Berlin must already prove at least 0.25 percent by the end of 2027 to meet the requirements. There are currently eight wind turbines in Berlin.

The selected locations can comment on citizens from June 10 to July 11th. These locations are divided as follows: three in Pankow, one on the border with Lichtenberg, two in the Grunewald, one in the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf am Teufelsberg, one in the southern part of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, in the Krummendammer Heide in Treptow-Köpenick, as well as in the Rieselfeld Gatow in Spandau and in Jungfernheide/Tegel in Reinickendorf. Urban development senator Christian Gaebler (SPD) is responsible for determining these areas.

Details on the wind power locations

The areas reserved for wind turbines include a total of 446 hectares. They were selected from an original list of 31 possible areas. These areas are classified as forest, green and agricultural areas as well as commercial construction areas. An essential aspect of planning is compliance with a distance of 500 meters to houses.

• Blankenfelde/Arkenberge (Pankow)
• Buchholz Nord (Pankow)
• Landscape Wartenberg/Falkenberg (Lichtenberg)
• Krummendammer Heide (Treptow-Köpenick)
• southern Grunewald (Steglitz-Zehlendorf)
• am Teufelsberg (Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf)
• Rieselfelder Gatow Karolinenhöhe (Spandau)
• Jungfernheide/Tegel (Reinickendorf)

The planned wind turbines are to reach a height of 230 meters and can each supply up to 3,700 households with electricity. There is great interest in using wind power, since the goal is to gain 80 percent of electricity in Germany by 2030 from renewable energies. In 2023, more investments in wind power projects flowed than in previous years, which is a positive sign for the industry.

ecological considerations and challenges

Despite the clear plan for wind use, there are also concerns. Especially the proximity to breeding sites of bird species and the exclusion of nature reserves as well as UNESCO World Heritage areas are important topics that are discussed in public. The construction of each wind turbine costs an estimated around nine million euros and the implementation takes about four months.

Overall, Berlin is on the way to fulfill his duties with regard to use of wind energy. By 2032, the city is obliged to prove areas that are suitable for producing wind energy. It is all the more important to sensitize the public to the topic and to find broad acceptance for wind energy use. It remains to be seen how many objections will come to comment during the planned period.