Only a small number of German farmers invest in wind turbines on the land they own; rather, they tend to lease land for that purpose to external investors. In this study, an explorative qualitative analysis of the reasons for this investment pattern was conducted. Calculations of the economic efficiency (e.g., net present value, payoff) of wind turbines built the foundation of the study. In addition, farmers in the northeastern federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were interviewed to assess their motives for capital expenditure. A considerable amount of equity capital is required to set up a wind turbine. The capital invested frequently competes with the purchase of agricultural land. Erecting wind turbines involves risks. Substantial financial means for planning permission and other examinations precede the construction of a wind turbine. Only at the very end of these costly investigations will a construction permit be issued; as such, farmers face a high level of uncertainty during the whole process. Fluctuations in wind yield resulting in volatile revenues confront farmers with additional financial uncertainties. The risk-taking behavior of farmers was assessed normatively by the Hurwicz criterion. The results showed that farmers with the necessary funds at their disposal and a high level of optimism were more likely to take the risk to set up a wind turbine on their own land. They make this decision despite the fact that leasing one’s own land to external investors is predictably profitable and clearly less risky.
The production of renewable energy fluctuates in terms of sun and wind and must be supplemented by storage in the system. On an individual basis, i.e., for centralized electricity production and predominantly self-consumption, the use of batteries is considered here. Possible future development scenarios were simulated based on current price relationships (status quo). In the status quo, a selling price for PV electricity of 13 Euro cents (ct)ct/kWh was assumed with a production cost of 11 ct/kWh. The selling price of wind power is 5 ct/kWh with a production cost of 3 ct/kWh. The cost of storing electricity in a battery increases the price by 33 ct/kWh. A price of 20 ct/kWh is assumed for electricity purchases by companies. In the status quo, the use of batteries is not economical given the assumed price relationships. Changing the framework conditions, such as those of the legislature in Germany with the nuclear power phase-out and in the EU with the coal exit and decarbonization, will lead to increased availability of (fluctuating) renewable electricity, especially during the day. The purchase of electricity at other times, when the supply is scarce, can lead to increased electricity prices, especially at night. Together with falling costs for storage, the use of batteries for centralized power generators could be very interesting in the future. The method used in this study is nonlinear optimization of the target function costs of electricity supply in the developed simulation model. The results can also be transferred to other countries, as the assumed trends apply worldwide.
ZusammenfassungEine nachhaltige Landbewirtschaftung kann ihren Beitrag zum Klimaschutz leisten. Die internationalen Vereinbarungen zum Klimaschutz finden ihren Niederschlag in der EU-Politik, z. B. der Farm-to-Fork-Strategie. Die Digitalisierung kann eine wichtige Unterstützung für die notwendige Anpassung von Produktionsprozessen sein. Auch die Landwirte selbst sehen im zunehmenden IT-Einsatz Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung der Ressourceneffizienz. An zwei Praxisbeispielen, einem Ackerbaubetrieb und einen ökologischen Milchviehbetrieb wird modellhaft beschrieben, wie die Reduzierung des CO2-Fußabdruck mit Hilfe der Digitalisierung erreicht werden kann. Die Notwendigkeit zur Optimierung bei Netzabdeckung und zur Verbesserung der Kompatibilität von Systemen, die Problematik von langfristigen Investitionszyklen, welche mit der schnelllebigen Digitalisierungsumwelt kollidieren sowie z. B. bislang ungeklärte Fragen der Datenhoheit werden diskutiert. Abschließend wird herausgestellt, dass die Vorteile der IT nur dann voll zur Wirkung kommen, wenn die Nutzer qualifiziert werden und Beratung erhalten.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen National bibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. Springer Vieweg © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2015Das Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung, die nicht ausdrücklich vom Urheberrechtsgesetz zugelassen ist, bedarf der vorherigen Zustimmung des Verlags. Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Bearbeitungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen.Die Wiedergabe von Gebrauchsnamen, Handelsnamen, Warenbezeichnungen usw. in diesem Werk berechtigt auch ohne besondere Kennzeichnung nicht zu der Annahme, dass solche Namen im Sinne der Warenzeichenund Markenschutz-Gesetzgebung als frei zu betrachten wären und daher von jedermann benutzt werden dürften.Gedruckt auf säurefreiem und chlorfrei gebleichtem Papier.
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