TY - JOUR

T1 - How to achieve the climate targets?

T2 - Spatial planning in the context of the German energy transition

AU - Wiehe, Julia

AU - von Haaren, Christina

AU - Walter, Anna Maria

N1 - Funding Information: The cited project “Naturverträgliche Energieversorgung aus 100% erneuerbaren Energien 2050 (EE100)” was funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) (FKZ no. 3515 82 4300). Funding Information: The authors thank K. Ammermann and C. Strauß from the Department II 4.3 “Nature Conservation and Renewable Energies” for their kind contribution to our research work. We thank B. Bredemeier and J. Thiele for helpful comments on the manuscript and B. Warren-Kretzschmar for the linguistic corrections. The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund of the Leibniz University Hannover.

PY - 2020/2/19

Y1 - 2020/2/19

N2 - Background: The transition of the energy system to renewable energy depends on how successfully the national objectives can be implemented at the lower planning levels. Germany pursues an incentive-oriented policy that is not spatially targeted and lets regional and local stakeholders determine where and how renewable energies are used. A core question is how to achieve the national goals, in a federal system that allows freedom of planning for the local communities. The aim of this paper is to show the discrepancies between the current expansion of wind energy and the necessary expansion that is derived from a scientific analysis. Methods: The study examined the policy objectives for the expansion of wind energy, based on a literature analysis. In a second step, the regulatory competences and spatial planning at the various levels and their influence on the expansion were explored. In a third step, the current procedure was compared with scientific scenarios of the energy system in 2050 and concretized using the example of the Hannover Region. Results: The theoretical and empirical analysis shows that people at regional level underestimate their responsibility for contributing to energy transition. The expansion targets for wind energy in the Hannover Region projected in the scientific scenario are above the minimum demand that the local authorities have assumed. The same applies to the state of Lower Saxony, which underestimates its own wind energy potential and thus its necessary contribution to achieving the national targets. Conclusions: We propose a nationwide coordinated strategy for the successful implementation of the energy transition. With the methodology described, regional targets can be determined and the responsibility of the region and the local actors can be clarified. With the help of spatial planning and public participation, the energy transition can be achieved with this approach.

AB - Background: The transition of the energy system to renewable energy depends on how successfully the national objectives can be implemented at the lower planning levels. Germany pursues an incentive-oriented policy that is not spatially targeted and lets regional and local stakeholders determine where and how renewable energies are used. A core question is how to achieve the national goals, in a federal system that allows freedom of planning for the local communities. The aim of this paper is to show the discrepancies between the current expansion of wind energy and the necessary expansion that is derived from a scientific analysis. Methods: The study examined the policy objectives for the expansion of wind energy, based on a literature analysis. In a second step, the regulatory competences and spatial planning at the various levels and their influence on the expansion were explored. In a third step, the current procedure was compared with scientific scenarios of the energy system in 2050 and concretized using the example of the Hannover Region. Results: The theoretical and empirical analysis shows that people at regional level underestimate their responsibility for contributing to energy transition. The expansion targets for wind energy in the Hannover Region projected in the scientific scenario are above the minimum demand that the local authorities have assumed. The same applies to the state of Lower Saxony, which underestimates its own wind energy potential and thus its necessary contribution to achieving the national targets. Conclusions: We propose a nationwide coordinated strategy for the successful implementation of the energy transition. With the methodology described, regional targets can be determined and the responsibility of the region and the local actors can be clarified. With the help of spatial planning and public participation, the energy transition can be achieved with this approach.

KW - Energy transition

KW - Implementation of climate targets

KW - Regional planning

KW - Wind energy

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081087429&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1186/s13705-020-0244-x

DO - 10.1186/s13705-020-0244-x

M3 - Article

VL - 10

JO - Energy, Sustainability and Society

JF - Energy, Sustainability and Society

IS - 1

M1 - 10

ER -