Renewable energies are booming: Rhineland-Palatinate reaches a new record!

Renewable energies are booming: Rhineland-Palatinate reaches a new record!

The development of renewable energies in Rhineland-Palatinate is showing impressive progress. In 2024, 1,123 megawatts (MW) of new capacity was added in the state, an increase of 13 percent compared to the previous year. These increases are a sign of the growing importance of renewable energies, which now account for 285,400 systems in Rhineland-Palatinate, reports stern.de.

The largest share of new systems comes from the photovoltaics (PV) sector. 65,000 new PV systems went into operation, around 70 percent of which had an output of less than 10 kilowatts. These small systems are often installed on house roofs, which underlines the importance of individual households for the energy transition.

Regional leaders

Particularly noteworthy is the Verbandsgemeinde of Zell (Mosel), which, with 111 MW, is the leader in the expansion of photovoltaics, thereby doubling the power generation capacity from solar energy. In addition, the municipality of Ulmen in the Cochem-Zell district has added a total of 24 MW through seven new wind turbines in the Beuren wind farm. These developments contribute to achieving the targets set by the state government.

In the wind energy sector, gross additions of 206 MW exceeded the 2023 additions of 139 MW by almost 50 percent. This shows the increasing acceptance and need for wind power in the region. The annual expansion of 500 MW that the state government is aiming for has almost doubled, which represents significant progress.

Trend changes and future goals

The expansion figures for 2023 were also impressive. Around 980 MW of photovoltaic capacity and 146 MW of wind power were added here. The net expansion was 1,127 MW and was 15 percent above the 2022 value. These developments illustrate the growing role of renewable energies in the state's energy mix. However, Rhineland-Palatinate's goal of covering 100 percent of its electricity consumption from renewable energies by 2030 still requires considerable effort, as the Rhineland-Palatinate Energy Agency notes energieagentur.rlp.de.

In order to achieve the ambitious goal, an annual net increase of around 700 MW of wind power and 510 MW of photovoltaics is required. In RLP's hydrogen study, 8,900 MW of wind energy and 7,700 MW of photovoltaics are also considered necessary by 2030.

In summary, Rhineland-Palatinate is well on the way to advancing its energy transition. The figures presented and the regional dynamics make it clear that both municipalities and citizens can actively contribute to the implementation of these ambitious goals. It will be exciting to see how this development will continue in the coming years.