Hydrogen, photovoltaics, onshore wind power: government decides on accelerators
The German government is implementing EU requirements so that renewable energies can be used more quickly. To this end, laws and regulations are to be amended.
Wind turbines in eastern Holstein.
(Image: heise online / anw)
The Federal Cabinet launched regulations today, Wednesday, which are intended to speed up the energy transition. They are based on EU projects and relate to electrolysers for the production of hydrogen, onshore wind energy, photovoltaics and storage systems.
The law on the implementation of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III) will allow "acceleration areas" to be designated. In these areas, onshore wind energy systems and solar energy systems, including the associated energy storage systems, are to be approved in a simplified and accelerated procedure. These regulations relate to the Building Code and the Spatial Planning Act. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, amendments to the Federal Immission Control Act will also allow projects that are not located in an "acceleration area" to be accelerated. The legislative amendments will now go to the Bundestag.
Fewer licensing requirements for electrolysers
Electrolysers for hydrogen production, on the other hand, are to be approved more quickly thanks to an amendment to the Federal Immission Control Ordinance. With this, the German government is anticipating an amendment to the European Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which comes into force on August 4, 2024. The responsible Federal Ministry for the Environment sees this as a prerequisite for the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure and the transformation of the economy in Germany.
Electrolysers with a rated electrical output of less than 5 megawatts no longer need to be approved under immission control legislation. Electrolysers with a production capacity of less than 50 tons of hydrogen per day can be approved in a simplified procedure. Previously, all industrial-scale electrolysers had to be approved under European law. The Federal Council still has to approve the amendment to the ordinance.
With the revised Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of renewable energy, which has been in force since November 2023, the EU is aiming for at least 42.5% of gross energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2030. To achieve this, all EU countries must introduce acceleration zones. This can be a specific location or a specific area on land, at sea or in inland waters that the respective member state considers suitable for the construction of renewable energy plants. These areas must undergo an environmental assessment in advance and the public must also be involved in the selection process. Areas that are protected due to their biodiversity, for example, or important migration routes for birds and marine mammals may not be designated as acceleration areas.
(anw)