Zustimmung zum Ausbau der Windenergie und zur finanziellen Beteiligung
In order to achieve the national climate targets, a further expansion of onshore wind energy is indispensable. To advance it more quickly, the legislator has created possibilities to involve host municipalities and citizens financially in wind energy. Based on a representative survey of about 7,000 people, Stephan Sommer, Chiara Weickardt, Paul Lehmann, Philipp Breidenbach, Erik Gawel, and Felix Heuer examine in this contribution the approval of the expansion of wind energy in Germany as well as of different forms of financial participation in the host municipalities. The results show that fixed annual payments to municipalities, discounted electricity tariffs, and the possibility to acquire shares correlate positively with the approval of the expansion of wind energy, whereas fixed annual compensation payments to local residents correlate negatively. This suggests that fixed annual payments reach those citizens who currently do not approve of the wind energy expansion more specifically than other forms of participation. The latter more likely reach people who support the expansion anyway.
Sommer, S., C. Weickardt, P. Lehmann, P. Breidenbach, E. Gawel and F. Heuer (2026), Zustimmung zum Ausbau der Windenergie und zur finanziellen Beteiligung. Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik (forthcoming)