More than 50 RE plants in the pipeline

“Our work is only successfully completed when the green electricity flows.” Maximilian Horn, Managing Director of the newly founded Green Wind Construction GmbH, and his experienced team ensure the stable realisation of renewable energy plants in times of a very lively renewable energy market. As a consequence, the now independent company is in a position to reliably and efficiently implement both greenwind’s own energy parks and projects for external customers. As part of the greenwind Group, the new company under Horn’s management will implement more than 50 wind turbines, five transformer stations and two solar parks in the coming years. The current project: the erection of five Vestas V150 turbines in Freudenberg with a total output of 28 MW. At the Ramelsloh energy park, greenwind is combining wind, PV and a battery storage system at one grid connection point for the first time.

The turnkey construction of high-tech systems from all manufacturers and of all sizes, whether as a retrofit or a new build, is Maximilian Horn and his team’s daily business. “Thanks to our more than ten years of experience, we are familiar with the challenges of route, cable and foundation construction, delivery, construction of grid connection points and commissioning,” says the Managing Director, who has been learning his business from scratch at greenwind since 2012. Let’s ask him a few questions:

Maximilian, what can you and your team expect in 2026/27?

The next few years will definitely be exciting and challenging for greenwind and the entire renewables sector. On the one hand, there are a large number of projects and, on the other, the economic pressure has increased enormously due to falling surcharges. The task now is to secure capacities and reduce costs. This applies to all areas such as grid connection capacities, cables, ballast, construction companies, etc. It is important to us not to engage in dumping, but to work with our partners fairly and on an equal footing.

What do you focus on as Managing Director?

Our strength lies in keeping a firm grip on the reins and organising everything so that the manufacturers can deliver and install on time. Our work begins with implementation planning and ends with acceptance by the licensing authorities. We are involved in grid connection planning, which currently requires a two-to-three-year time frame to ensure the grid connection for commissioning.

What specific projects do you have in the pipeline?

Every project has its own characteristics. Sometimes it’s ten kilometres of underground cable construction across a forest, sometimes the ground is difficult, another time cooperation requires increased coordination. We will be starting road construction in Freudenberg in February. We took over four of the five plants from another project developer at short notice. The fifth will belong to our greenwind team. The project includes four BImSchG approvals (Federal Law for Emission Protection), two supply contracts, two grid connection points, a new substation, a cooperation and other challenges.

We will be starting our energy park in Ramelsloh in autumn. I’m really looking forward to that. For the first time, we are combining wind, PV and a battery storage system at one grid connection point. A milestone! The future belongs to such combinations. A colleague at the Lübeck site will oversee this project and others in northern Germany. Repowering is also a focal point. In the Crussow project, we are repowering old V80s in autumn, which colleagues of mine planned at the time, and replacing them with V150s, including a new substation.

Which specialists are in demand at the newly founded Green Wind Construction GmbH?

We are well positioned for the tasks ahead. One colleague is currently immersing himself in 3D modelling, combined with the use of our new drone, so that specifications and measurements can be created even more accurately. We are looking for good project managers, and I would be particularly pleased to have an “old hand” from the construction industry.

How have you experienced the development of the greenwind Group over the last ten years?

When I was taken on permanently in 2015 after completing my MSc Regenerative Energies degree, there were ten of us in the Berlin office and our Friday lunch breaks together in the “Ständige Vertretung” restaurant on Schiffbauerdamm street were a beloved ritual. The company grew steadily or even rapidly. In addition to TOM, I also took on construction management, which became my passion. Fortunately, I was in the right place at the right time. It was great to see how the greenwind Group has developed into an established company on the market. My own development as Managing Director would not have been possible without the trust of the founders Manuel Lasse and Martin Kühl, for which I am very grateful.