Wind power record: The industry delivers, but the grid becomes a bottleneck
With a historic permit increase and strong expansion, onshore wind energy exceeded expectations in 2025. More infrastructure gaps loom.
Wind turbines in Ostholstein
(Image: heise online / anw)
The year 2025 marks a turning point for onshore wind energy in the Federal Republic. According to the current annual report by the Fachagentur Wind und Solar (Special Agency for Wind and Solar) on behalf of the Bundesverband Windenergie (BWE) and VDMA Power Systems, the industry has concluded the "second-best expansion year in German history." With 958 new turbines and an output of 5232 megawatts, the previous year's result was surpassed by a significant 58 percent. The statistics for new permits are even more impressive: authorities recorded an all-time high of 20,765 megawatts here – an increase of 48 percent compared to the previous record year of 2024.
North Rhine-Westphalia, in particular, is consolidating its role as the engine of the energy transition according to the status report and is leading the federal states ranking by a clear margin for the third consecutive year -- both in terms of expansion and permits. The efficiency of administration has also noticeably increased: the average duration of a permit process dropped to just under 17 months nationwide. This represents a reduction of 28 percent.
Despite this positive dynamic, which has been apparent since 2023 at the latest, growing challenges with grid infrastructure are clouding the picture. BWE President Bärbel Heidebroek warns that grid access for new projects is becoming increasingly difficult and that insufficient capacity could slow down the growth trajectory. The grid urgently needs to be modernized and digitized to cope with the upcoming "expansion boom" at the end of 2026. This is when the currently approved projects will be realized.
Protection against attackers and geopolitical dangers
For 2026, the associations forecast a further increase to 8 to 8.5 gigawatts of expansion. However, this success brings new security requirements. VDMA Managing Director Dennis Rendschmidt emphasizes the growing importance of resilience against geopolitical threats. The physical and digital security of the facilities must be guaranteed without gaps considering the recent Berlin attack to protect national security interests. This also includes controlled access to critical components. Wind energy has now become the backbone of German electricity generation: it is expected to cover around 24 to 27 percent of the electricity demand in 2025-- despite a wind-weak spring.
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To secure technological sovereignty and industrial value creation in Germany in the long term, industry representatives are calling not only for political reliability but also for a fundamental reform of the electricity system. This is because both the existing grid and current expansion plans are still too focused on inflexible large power plants. Instead, consistent flexibilization through storage, a ramp-up of the hydrogen economy, and intelligent "cable pooling" must take place. In the latter, several energy generation plants share a common grid connection and the associated infrastructure such as cables and substations.
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The wind industry sees itself as being in the preparatory stage. It wants to hold the grid operators accountable for making up for past years' shortcomings – after all, the green transformation should not fail at the connection cable.
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