Germany's leading source of electric power generation got a big boost in 2024, according to latest industry figures.

Regulators approved more than 2,400 new onshore wind turbines with a total output of around 14 gigawatts, a record high, said a new report from the German Wind Energy Association and VDMA Power Systems, the association for power plant engineering.

"This is a significant step in the right direction," said Dennis Rendschmidt, VDMA's managing director. He said the government must "maintain this momentum," no matter the outcome of the February 23 federal election.

But despite the positive figures, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made vehement opposition to Germany's energy policies — and wind in particular — a key part of its election campaign. At the AfD's recent party congress, chancellor candidate Alice Weidel railed against "fluctuating" renewable energy, which she told German broadcaster ZDF didn't work "when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine."

Speaking at the congress, Weidel vowed to tear down all of Germany's "windmills of shame." She called for Germany to boost the use of planet-heating fossil fuels, including Russian gas, and bring back nuclear power as part of a "sustainable, serious energy mix" — a plan which most experts have said is unrealistic.

"A return to nuclear power in Germany is not plausible........

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