Offshore wind energy is a key pillar of the energy transition. But how is its actual utilisation developing—and what challenges does this pose for integration into the energy system?
The scientific study “Offshore Wind Energy Utilisation in Germany: Status Quo, Challenges, and Future Prospects” presents findings on the development of offshore wind energy use in Germany, based on long-term, real-world feed-in and operational data.
The results show that fluctuations in power output (intermittency) and air turbulence behind the turbines (wake effects) increase in densely packed wind farms. Feed-in data from 2015 to 2024 show declining capacity factors, and, consequently, a decrease in the utilisation rate of the offshore fleet from 42 per cent in 2015 to 32 per cent in 2025. At the same time, the share of curtailed offshore wind power generation rose from 0.2% in 2015 to nearly 18% in 2024.
The study thus makes it clear that the further expansion of offshore wind energy cannot be viewed in isolation. Grid infrastructure, flexibility, storage, and guaranteed capacity must be considered holistically alongside the increasing installed generation capacity.
With regard to the future development of offshore wind energy, the authors, Guido S. Vallana and Thomas Linnemann, advocate for a more system-oriented approach that takes into account not only installed capacity but also the actual annual energy output achievable and grid integration. The study is based on long-term, real-world feed-in and operational data from the European ENTSO-E transparency platform.
