Energy Horizon - Season 1 - Episode 1 - Repowering the Renewables
Energy Horizon - Season 1 - Episode 1
Repowering the Renewables
Energy Horizon
Our partnership with CNBC is reinventing itself to bring to life our new series, “Energy Horizon,” an inspiring and optimistic vision of TotalEnergies' role in the energy challenges of today and tomorrow. Through powerful, human stories rooted in the field, each episode takes you to the four corners of the globe to discover the solutions and innovations embodied by the men and women of the Company working to drive the energy transition.
This first episode of Energy Horizon takes us to Germany to meet VSB, a major renewable developer in Europe, which joined TotalEnergies in 2025 to support the country's energy transition. Thomas Winkler, Managing Director of VSB Germany, and Antoine Becker, Managing Director of Offshore Wind in Germany at TotalEnergies, discuss their joint strategy to support Germany's renewable energy ambitions and present the successful repowering of the Elster wind farm.
[Berlin]
Thomas Winkler, Managing Director: Germany is Europe's biggest producer of renewable energy, which is a real source of national pride. Germany has a very ambitious goal to reach at least 80% of electricity from renewables within the next four years. This is a higher and faster target than most of the other countries. Our country has already closed all its nuclear power stations and renewable energy currently accounts for around 60% of electricity production. But it's a long way to go.
[Germany's Goal: of 80% renewable energy by 2030]
Thomas Winkler: For 30 years, VSB has been developing renewable energy projects across Germany and Europe. We understand the challenges ahead and the importance of having strong partnerships, to make this renewable energy future into our reality.
[Energy Horizon: repowering the renewables]
Thomas Winkler: You know Antoine, on days like that where it’s freesing cold with -11 degrees here, the energy demand in Germany is super high and to power a country like Germany 24/7.
Antoine Becker, Managing Director, Offshore Wind Germany: Yeah it requires very complex solutions, very complex systems, right? Germany is the largest energy consumer in Europe and has a very ambitious renewable strategy. To achieve this, we need not only renewable energy but also flexible assets like batteries and gas power stations. For when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine. TotalEnergies acquired VSB in 2025. Together with TotalEnergies’s investment* and VSB’s infrastructure we can operate across the entire value chain. This strengthens our renewable power position in Germany and helps accelerate the country's energy transition. It's a win win.
Thomas Winkler: You know, VSB is very successful in developing renewable energy projects all over Europe but more projects doesn't always mean expansion. Repowering, which means to replace old and outdated tech with newer technology is one of the major priorities for us.
Antoine Becker: Allowing us to do more with less.
Thomas Winkler: Indeed. And you know Elster, is a great example for these kinds of projects.
[Elster, Germany]
Max Krjukow, Construction Manager: Elster was buit 25 years ago and back then it was one of the largest wind farms in Germany. After 25 years, the lifespan of the old turbines has come to an end and now they need to be replaced. Deconstructing 100 meter tall turbines is a big challenge. When I started in VSB 20 years ago, we had just finished to build 57 turbines here in Elster but I can see a lot has changed.
Antoine Becker: Yes, a lot has changed. We removed 50 of the old turbines and replaced them with 18 new ones. So we reduce the area of the land by having larger turbines and produce a lot more energy. f you compare the new turbines to the old ones, they are 2.5 times the height, that means it can capture more wind and create more power.
[6x more energy - 70% less turbines - Rotor diamter: 155 m - Old rotor diameter: 70 m - Repowering Elster: has achieved a 90% recycle rate]
Max Krjukow: Another big part of the repowering process is recycling. The polymers from the rotor blades have been used in pavement for road building and for the production of large furniture for urban spaces. Minimizing the environmental impact has been very important. We analyzed the bird flight patterns and built the insights into a GPS based safety system. So when a tractor approaches the turbine the system automatically shuts the turbine down and that supports safer conditions for the birds while allowing farming to continue effectively.
Antoine Becker: My grandfather, Jean-Marc Noel, was one of the French pioneers in wind turbine design. He passed me his passion for electricity production and electricity usages. My job is managing and developing major offshore wind projects in Germany. The offshore turbines that TotalEnergies currently plans to install, are about as high as the Eiffel Tower. And are able to produce even more power since wind is stronger and more stable at sea. These projects could power up to 7 million homes each year. It's projects like these that could help Germany realize its vision for a renewable energy future.
[By 2030, TotalEnergies aims to produce 100+ Twh of electricity globally every year.]
*TotalEnergies is a global integrated energy company that produces and markets energies (oil and biofuels, natural gas, biogas and low-carbon hydrogen, renewables and electricity) and is staying the course of its transition strategy. Learn more on totalenergies.com/energy-transition.
[TotalEnergies logo]
Supporting Germany's renewable energy ambitions
Germany is Europe's largest energy consumer and has a very ambitious renewable energy strategy: to generate at least 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The country has already closed all its nuclear power stations and renewable energy currently accounts for around 60% of electricity production.
To meet its energy needs, Germany requires renewable energy sources, but also flexible assets like batteries and gas power stations, which are essential tools for compensating for the intermittency of renewables.
VSB, a major renewable developer in Europe
For 30 years, VSB has been developing projects in Germany and Europe with recognized expertise in the development of onshore wind farms. This major renewable developer in Europe joined TotalEnergies in 2025 with a shared ambition: to combine the Company's investments with VSB's infrastructure in order to operate across the entire electricity value chain.
VSB in key figures, in Europe
Germany: a key country for the deployment of the Company Integrated Power Model
The German electricity market, the largest in Europe, has fundamentals that make the implementation of an integrated model relevant in the electricity chain. The electrification of uses is expected to drive demand growth in a tense context due to the planned phase-out of nuclear and coal, offering opportunities for the development of renewables and flexible generation. Moreover, Germany is an energy importer and has limited interconnection capacities with its neighboring countries;
By actively expanding across the entire electricity value chain in Germany, TotalEnergies is implementing its Integrated Power model.
Repowering of the Elster wind farm
Supporting renewable energy ambitions does not always mean developing new projects. One of VSB's priority strategies is “repowering”: replacing old and obsolete technologies with newerones.
VSB has successfully completed the repowering of the Elster wind farm in the east of the country. With an increase in output of almost six times more power production - it is one of the largest repowering projects in Europe.
With an installed capacity of 105.6 megawatts, energy production doubles with 6 more time power production above, compared to the original site, thanks to the replacement of 50 of the old turbines with 16 modern ones capable of generating more electricity, and 2 more to be installed soon…
The Elster site demonstrates the potential of repowering, a particularly promising strategy in countries such as Germany and France, where many existing wind farms are reaching the end of their operational life.
A virtuous repowering of renewables
During the repowering of the Elster wind farm, particular attention was paid to recycling: 90% of the dismantled components were given a new lease of life. For example, the polymers from the rotor blades were reused in road surfacing for road construction and in the manufacture of large items of street furniture.
Minimizing environmental impact is also a key element of repowering. At the Elster site, bird flight paths around the turbines were analyzed and integrated into a GPS-based tracking system for agricultural vehicles. During harvesting, if birds take flight behind a tractor approaching a turbine, the system automatically stops the turbine, keeping birds safe while allowing farming to continue.
Energy Horizon
