In order to achieve the state’s climate protection goals, the Senate is considering building wind turbines in Berlin’s forests and landscape protection areas. “I don’t like going into landscape protection areas, but we won’t be able to rule it out if we want to achieve our climate goals,” said Climate Protection Senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens) after the Senate session on Tuesday.

The background is, among other things, plans by the federal government to convert 80 percent of electricity production in Germany to renewable energies by 2030. “The federal government has steep expansion targets. We will have to make our contribution to this electricity mix and cannot pull ourselves out,” said Jarasch.

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The Senate is therefore currently examining where in the city area wind turbines could also be erected. The aim is first to find out which potential areas exist and on which the rotors could actually turn, said the senator.

Because of the prescribed distances to housing estates in Berlin, commercial areas, areas on motorways – and forests and landscape protection areas in particular would be considered.

“These are definitely not the areas that we go to first and foremost. But we will at least explore what potential we have,” said Jarasch. There are key points from the federal government that would exclude wind turbines in nature reserves. Landscape protection areas, however, did not fall under this regulation. “I know there are conflicts. But we have set ourselves a task for humanity here in a damn short time.”

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Jarasch also wants to make progress in the construction of small wind turbines on house roofs. So far, these have not been approved by the districts. “I want to go there again,” she said.

The Senate’s new climate committee met for the first time on Tuesday. In the future, conflicting goals in the fight against climate change are to be jointly discussed by several Senate administrations with the committee.