Energy transition in the Verden district: network overload is slowing down progress!

Energy transition in the Verden district: network overload is slowing down progress!

A lot is happening in the Verden district when it comes to energy, and this is urgently needed. On November 5, 2025, Lower Saxony's Environment Minister Christian Meyer inaugurated a new solar park in Dörverden, which complements the numerous wind turbines already in the region. But despite this progress, the energy transition is stalling, according to Weser-Kurier.

Although the installed capacity of renewable energies in EWE-Land exceeds the maximum load of the grid four times, there are massive problems: the power grids are overloaded, which makes it difficult to feed in the excess electricity. Wilhelm Hogrefe, member of the CDU district council, describes this network overload as the “biggest obstacle to the energy transition”. The district administrator of Verden, Peter Bohlmann, sees another weak point in the state government's expansion goals, which do not sufficiently take into account the decrease in electricity produced.

The challenges of the energy transition

The planned projects in the region are promising, including a large energy storage facility in Ottersberg and new wind turbines with a total capacity of around 87 megawatts and solar systems with around 33 megawatts. Nevertheless, there is hardly any spare capacity left for trade or industry, which has an inhibiting effect on development. Avacon, the responsible electricity network operator, expects it will take more than ten years to expand the high-voltage network, which increases concerns about network overload.

The boom in battery storage continues unabated, even if there are concerns about the procurement rules, which often operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Ulrich vom Felde, head of network development at EWE, emphasizes the importance of energy storage as part of the solution for the energy transition. The fact is: The need for effective storage solutions is growing because the electricity produced must also be able to be consumed.

Energy transition and Germany's future

A look beyond the district borders shows that the energy transition in Germany has many goals - including a reduction of 80-95% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to 1990. But the road there is rocky. According to Wikipedia, Germany achieved a 27% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2014, but must maintain an annual reduction of 3.5% in order not to jeopardize the set targets.

With the peak phase of renewable energies, which is characterized by biomass, wind power and solar energy, the German power grid is reaching its limits. Currently, only 950 of a planned 7,700 kilometers of new power lines have been built by 2019. These infrastructural challenges make it clear that the ambitious plans for the energy transition cannot be realized without sufficient network capacity. Ultimately, it is in the interests of everyone involved that the population both benefits economically from the new energy systems and makes a contribution to climate protection.

The energy transition therefore remains a central topic for the coming period - also in the Verden district. Whether the challenges can be mastered is an exciting context that affects all actors. However, it is clear that a good hand in planning and implementation is required in order to get closer to the goal of a sustainable and future-proof energy supply.