Wind energy. Current and future potential

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Energy Sciences, The University of Applied Sciences in Eberswalde, language: English, abstract: Towards the end of 20th and beginning of the 21st century, interest has risen in new and renewable energy (RE) sources, especially wind energy for electricity generation. In the course of a short period of time, wind energy was welcomed by society, industry and politics as a clean, practical, economical and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional energy sources. Among renewable energy technologies, wind energy accounts for the highest share in gross electricity consumption in Germany. To keep this renewable share up, wind energy projects have to combine technological aspects with environmental and social aspects. The successful planning and implementation of a wind farm crucially depends on acceptance by the citizens living in the vicinity of the site. Factors influencing acceptance of wind energy can be categorised into process-related variables, personal characteristics, perceived side effects and technical and geographical issues. This article defines acceptance and identifies the relevant factors which have an impact upon acceptance or non-acceptance of renewable energy technologies by citizens in Germany.