Onshore Wind: Further Developing the Energy Transition for More Nature Conservation and Landscape Management, as well as Environmental Justice and Public Acceptance

Abstract

The so-called ‘Easter Package’ and the subsequent legislative changes since 2022 have led to a marked acceleration in wind energy planning procedures. The responsibility placed on regional planning authorities for achieving the targets has been significantly increased. However, these legislative changes have given rise to considerable new risks and uncertainties regarding nature conservation and landscape management, as well as environmental justice and public acceptance. These manifest themselves with varying degrees of severity across different regions. Based on an AI-supported analysis of 13 sample regional plans, case studies and academic literature, we identify seven key problems with the current regulatory approach: (1) massive use of forest areas, (2) lacking provisions for adequate compensation for climate protection functions, (3) insufficient consideration of species conservation requirements, (4) the systematic tiering of small-scale or qualitative nature and landscape risks to the planning permission stage, where they can no longer be adequately addressed, (5) weak consideration of cultural ecosystem services, (6) a lack of local opportunities for involvement, and (7) an extreme imbalance in the distribution of costs and benefits between host municipalities and private landowners. These risks are primarily the result of material protection standards having been significantly reduced, whilst at the same time an inflexible land-use target has been implemented without sufficient regard for regional potentials that are compatible with human and naturally sound potentials. To remedy this, we propose seven tangible packages of measures for the further development of the transformation pathway towards the interim target year of 2027. The proposals remain, as far as possible, on the reform path already embarked upon. They comprise (1) making the targets more flexible by allowing a regional choice between energy generation and land-use targets, (2) the reinforcement of strategic environmental assessment and regional planning, (3, 4) the strengthening of the roles of nature conservation and natural climate protection in the balancing of interests, (5) early, participatory involvement at local level, (6) the establishment of distributive justice, and (7) the nationwide provision and harmonisation of data.