German state aims to achieve 300% electricity from renewables

Germany’s windiest state, Schleswig-Holstein, is preparing to generate electricity from renewables as it consumes over a year, for the first time. Only eight years ago, the state generated around 30 percent of its electricity from wind with lots of progress in short time.

The rural state plans to generate as much as 300 percent of its electricity from renewables or three times as much as it needs to use. Schleswig-Holstein can sell and send the excess to other needed areas. In 2013 renewables met 25 percent of Germany’s domestic electricity demand. The government has a target of 40-45 percent by 2025.

Schleswig-Holstein has 7,000 people working in the wind power sector, and wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has facilities in the state. The state is home to over 200 businesses in the wind power sector.

The wind power industry in Germany already provides over 96,000 jobs, and that number is expected to rise further as the country pushes towards its substantial renewable energy targets.

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