Environment Minister Günther: "Progress is being made with renewables"

According to Saxony's Environment Minister Wolfram Günther, Saxony is making good progress in the expansion of renewable energies. "The strong momentum in the expansion of renewable energies is continuing," said the Green politician on Friday. According to the report, 130 wind turbines with a total output of 804 megawatts were in the ongoing approval process at the end of March. Six months earlier, there were 85 wind turbines with a total output of 481 megawatts.

Significant growth was also recorded in the photovoltaic sector. In the first quarter of this year alone, almost 8,000 systems with a total output of around 600 megawatts were put into operation in Saxony. For 2023 as a whole, these figures amount to 650 megawatts of capacity. These figures include all systems regardless of their size and output, including numerous small systems such as balcony power plants. The figures are taken from the Federal Network Agency's market master data register.

"We have changed direction in this legislative period, from a brown coal country to a climate-neutral energy and industrial country," Günther continued. Industry is calling for green electricity so that it can remain internationally competitive. This is because green electricity lowers prices. Citizens would also benefit from the expansion of renewables by participating financially in the yields of the plants. "This should soon be mandatory in Saxony," emphasized Günther.

However, it is also clear that more speed is needed in the expansion of renewables - especially for wind energy. This is because new wind turbines now generate around ten times the amount of electricity compared to turbines built 15 or 20 years ago.