Wind Energy in Thuringia

Thuringia is shaped by its topography: the Thuringian Forest, the Rhön, the Eichsfeld. Low mountain ranges dominate the state — low-wind turbines are the standard there. The delay under the WaLG (Wind Energy Onshore Act) raises the political pressure to designate land.

Market Data

Permitting & Law

• Minimum setback: no blanket state rule, TA Lärm (Technical Instructions on Noise) + protected interests
• Authority: Thuringian State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation (TLUBN)
• WaLG target: 2.2% by 2032; current status: approx. 1.2% — behind schedule
• Species protection: red kite, black stork in the Eichsfeld

Regionally Active Engineering Firms

• JUWI AG (Wörrstadt, with a Saxony-Thuringia branch) — project development
• TLUBN — specialist nature conservation authority
• Thuringian energy companies

Wind energy in Thuringia – market data, WaLG status and permitting framework

Thuringia Specifics

• Dominance of low mountain ranges: low-wind turbines with a 175 m hub height are standard
• WaLG delay: the exclusion effect of concentration zones is at risk of lapsing
• Eichsfeld plateau: good wind resource, but red kite conflicts

Ground-Mounted Solar in Thuringia

The Thuringian Basin, with its flat arable land, is suitable for ground-mounted solar. The combination of wind on the ridges and solar in the lowlands enables complementary site use within the federal state. Privileged sites along motorways and railway lines speed up the permitting.