Garantire una crescita armoniosa dell'energia eolica offshore in Germania salvaguardando il suo ambiente
In pursuit of a greener future, research is underway to create more eco-friendly turbines, with the innovative use of bubble curtains to mitigate noise in static turbines being one such approach 1. However, the expansion of wind energy production, particularly offshore, is not without controversy.
Opinions among experts on marine spatial planning vary widely. While some environmental NGOs express reservations about the wind power extension, viewing it as a major intervention in the ecosystem, others argue that more than four-fifths of the European Economic Area (EEA) are currently reserved for industrial uses, drastically overexploiting natural resources 23.
Denmark's ministry of environment underscores the importance of close-meshed impact assessments to optimize environmental monitoring and management systems 4. This emphasis on rigorous evaluation is particularly relevant as the German government aims to increase offshore wind energy production capacity to 30 GW by 2030, with potential for up to 54 GW 5.
This planned expansion will take place in waters up to 40 meters deep, posing technical challenges 6. To address these, innovative solutions like Scotland's Hywind, the first wind farm using floating turbines that work with less intense embedding and could lower the environmental risk if implemented appropriately, are being explored 7.
However, the risks associated with building, planting, and functioning of larger offshore turbine-areas remain unexplored 8. To mitigate these, environmental organizations and research institutes have proposed measures such as requiring project developers to submit emission concepts during the planning phase, banning zinc-based anodes and biocide-containing coatings for corrosion control, using air bubble curtains during pile driving to reduce underwater noise harmful to marine mammals, and promoting closer cooperation between researchers, wind park operators, and regulatory authorities 9.
It is crucial that environmentally-friendly options are adopted to avoid damaging unique ecosystems during the expansion of offshore wind energy. For instance, avoiding construction in resting and reproductive periods reduces the impact on marine life 10. Moreover, 50 percent of the proposed protection zone should be free of other human use, according to Carla Langsenkamp from WWF 11.
The marine spatial planning in Germany's EEA covers an area between 12 to 200 nautical miles from the coast, where the state has the right to utilize, exploit, and benefit from local resources 12. Offshore wind energy production in the North Sea, which has higher wind yields, producing about 6.7 GW compared to 1.1 GW in the Baltic Sea 13, is planned to be located near areas of environmental protection and traversed by shipping canals 14.
The EEA is used for multiple purposes, including shipping, offshore wind energy, cables, fishery, raw materials extraction, research, defense, and marine nature conservation 15. Balancing these competing interests while transitioning to renewable energies will be a challenging but necessary task. If we fail to transition to renewable energies, climate change will lead to drastic increases in the already critical biodiversity crisis 16.
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