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Wind turbine insurance in Germany: machine, revenue and liability

For a community wind farm or a farmer, a wind turbine is usually the largest single investment, financed over many years and only paying off while it feeds power into the grid. A gearbox failure or a lightning strike costs the repair and weeks without income. German wind cover therefore combines three parts: the turbine itself, loss of revenue and the operator's liability.

The question almost everyone asks first

Is insurance for a wind turbine compulsory in Germany?

No German statute requires a specific insurance for wind turbines. Others can still demand it: the lender in the loan agreement and the landowner in the lease. More important than the legal duty is the liability itself, because under section 823 of the German Civil Code (BGB) an operator is liable without any cap for damage caused by ice throw or falling parts.

Machinery cover: what is insured on the turbine

German machinery insurance (Maschinenversicherung) pays for sudden and unforeseen damage to the turbine: operating errors, short circuit, overvoltage, design and material defects. Many wind policies extend this to all risks and add fire, lightning, storm, hail, theft and vandalism. Check that tower, foundation, transformer and the cabling within the park are named in the policy, since some offers leave them out.

Wear and tear is never insured, and with wind turbines the line is hard to draw: a gearbox wears out over the years, and a bearing failure can be either. Insurers protect themselves with overhaul clauses that require a revision or an expert report after a set running time, or they apply a deduction for the age of major components.

Maintenance contract and insurance belong together

Many operators hold a full service contract with the manufacturer that already covers repairs and often part of the lost revenue. The insurance then mainly needs to cover what that contract excludes, such as lightning, storm and fire. When the full service contract expires or is replaced by basic maintenance, the risk for the insurer changes fundamentally.

Most gaps open at exactly this point. If you switch to an independent service company, the insurer must be told and the policy adjusted. Some specialist schemes in Germany offer machinery business interruption explicitly for turbines without a full service contract.

Loss of revenue: when the rotor stands still

If the turbine stops after an insured physical loss, the operator loses the feed in tariff or market premium under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). Business interruption cover replaces this revenue for the agreed indemnity period. Rotor blades and gearboxes can have long lead times and a heavy crane has to be booked for the exchange, so the indemnity period should not be tight.

Policies usually carry a waiting period of a few days that the operator bears himself. Downtime without damage to your own turbine, for example when the grid operator cannot take power after a fault at the substation, needs a separate extension and is not standard.

Operator liability, environment and dismantling

As operator you are liable for damage caused by the turbine: ice thrown from the blades in winter, a fire spreading to forest or fields, oil from gearbox or transformer leaking into the soil. Operator liability covers bodily injury and property damage; with an environmental extension it also covers pollution damage and public law duties to remediate, for example under the German Environmental Damage Act.

For turbines in open countryside, section 35(5) of the German Federal Building Code requires a commitment to dismantle the turbine once use ends for good, and the permitting authority normally secures it with a security deposit. Besides a bank guarantee, the guidance issued by the German states expressly mentions a surety bond from an insurer, which leaves the operator's credit lines free.

What is covered

  • Damage to the turbine from operating errors, short circuit, overvoltage, design and material defects
  • Fire, lightning, storm, hail, theft and vandalism under all risks cover
  • Tower, foundation, transformer and park cabling, if included
  • Lost revenue after an insured physical loss for the indemnity period
  • Crane, salvage and clearing costs, depending on the policy
  • Operator liability for bodily injury and property damage, for instance from ice throw
  • Pollution damage from leaking oils and coolants, with environmental extension
  • Defence against unfounded claims by neighbours and landowners

What is not covered

  • Wear and gradual deterioration of gearbox, bearings and brakes
  • Repairs owed by the manufacturer under warranty or full service
  • Lost revenue from low wind, curtailment by the grid operator or negative power prices
  • Deliberately caused damage
  • Erection and installation of the turbine, which needs erection all risks cover

Who needs it

  • Community wind farms and energy cooperatives with one or a few turbines
  • Farmers and landowners running their own turbine
  • Small operating companies, usually set up as GmbH & Co. KG
  • Operators whose full service contract is about to expire
  • Owners of older turbines that keep running after the fixed EEG tariff ends

Who does not need it

  • If you only lease land to an operator, you do not need turbine insurance yourself, but the lease should require proof of the operator's cover

Wheel of misfortune

Spin the wheel of bad luck

Six things that really happen. The wheel picks yours and shows who pays.

See all six cases
  1. Lightning strikes a rotor blade, high, with blade exchange, crane and downtime. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. Lightning is part of any property cover, but basic policies often cap crane and salvage, and without loss of revenue the downtime stays with the operator.
  2. Gearbox fails in year twelve, high, with exchange, crane and downtime. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays in part. The sudden failure is insured, the wear before it is not. For old gearboxes almost every policy applies a deduction for age.
  3. Ice falls on a parked car, a few thousand euros. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. A textbook operator liability claim. The insurer checks whether ice detection was running and pays if the operator is liable.
  4. Park cable cut by a digger, repair plus downtime of every connected turbine. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Park cabling is missing from some policies. If it is included, repair and the lost revenue of every affected turbine are covered.
  5. A year of weak wind, markedly lower income. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: does not pay. Low wind is not physical damage and remains business risk. No loss of revenue cover pays for it.
  6. Gear oil leaks into the soil, cost of soil remediation. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Remediating the soil falls on the operator under environmental law. It is covered only with the environmental extension.

What it costs

There is no price list for wind turbines; every turbine is underwritten individually. The premium depends mainly on replacement value, turbine type and its loss record in the market, age and maintenance contract. No independent published comparisons exist, so we do not quote sample premiums.

What drives the premium

  • Replacement value and rated output
  • Manufacturer and model, especially series with known serial defects
  • Age of the turbine and condition of major components according to an expert report
  • Full service, basic maintenance or independent service company
  • Indemnity period and waiting period for loss of revenue
  • Deductible and loss history of the turbine

Your premium is fixed only in the quote, which the insurer bases on a questionnaire, the maintenance contract and, for older turbines, an expert report.

The policy levels on the market

01

Liability only

Operator liability alone, for example when a full service contract with availability guarantee covers the technology. Cheap, but leaves lightning, storm and fire on the turbine open.

02

Wind turbine policy

Machinery or all risks, loss of revenue and operator liability in one contract designed for onshore turbines. The right approach for most community wind farms and single operators.

03

Bespoke programme

For several or older turbines without full service, with individual rules on overhaul, major components and grid outage. Usually negotiated by a broker with specialist insurers.

How to recognise a good policy

CriterionMinimum standardStrong policyWhy it matters
Scope of property cover Machinery breakdown with fire and lightning All risks including storm, hail, theft and vandalism Lightning and storm cause particularly expensive losses on wind turbines, and a struck blade often has to be replaced.
Insured parts Nacelle, rotor and tower plus foundation, transformer, park cabling and grid connection point One damaged cable in the park shuts down every turbine connected to it.
Indemnity period 6 months 12 months or longer Lead times for gearboxes and blades and the availability of heavy cranes stretch the downtime.
Overhaul clause fixed overhaul after a set number of years expert report instead of blanket exchange, condition monitoring accepted A rigid overhaul duty costs money even when the component is in good order.
Deduction for age deduction on major components by age no deduction or a capped one For a ten year old gearbox the deduction decides how much the operator pays himself.
Crane and salvage costs small sub limit enough for a heavy crane deployment The crane for a blade exchange can be a large share of the total loss.
Operator liability limit combined limit for bodily injury and property damage high combined limit with pollution and environmental damage cover A forest fire or a serious injury from ice throw quickly reaches large sums.
Change of maintenance contract duty to notify with no further rule regulated in the policy, cover continues if notified in time Moving from full service to basic maintenance is the most common moment for an unnoticed gap.

Insurers on the German market

Not every German property insurer writes wind turbines, and cover is usually underwritten individually on the basis of a questionnaire. Alongside large insurers with their own wind policies, specialist and industrial insurers are active. The list describes the German market; it says nothing about which insurers we work with.

InsurerBackground
R+Vspecialist scheme for wind turbines in its commercial lines
Württembergischemodular wind policy for onshore turbines
Markelspecialist insurer based in Munich with its own underwriting guide for wind power
Allianzmachinery and business interruption cover for wind turbines based on a questionnaire
Allianz Commercialindustrial arm of Allianz, insures onshore and offshore renewables
HDI Globalindustrial insurer of the Talanx group, based in Hanover

Compare the wordings of all tariffs Wind turbines 3 tariffs from 3 providers, as of 24 October 2026

From the BaFin register

163

163 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance.

(Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden, Allgemeine Haftpflicht)

Show all 163 names from the register
  • ACM Versicherung AG
  • ADAC Autoversicherung AG
  • ADAC Versicherung AG
  • ADAC Zuhause Versicherung AG
  • ADLER Versicherung AG
  • AGILA Haustierversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Allcura Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Allianz Direct Versicherungs-AG
  • Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE
  • Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Alte Leipziger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Ambra Versicherung AG
  • AMMERLÄNDER VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • andsafe Aktiengesellschaft
  • ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Astra Versicherung AG
  • AXA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Badischer Gemeinde-Versicherungs-Verband
  • Baloise Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft Deutschland
  • Barmenia Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • BavariaDirekt Versicherung AG
  • Bayerische Hausbesitzer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Bayerische Landesbrandversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft
  • BD24 Berlin Direkt Versicherung AG
  • Bergische Brandversicherung Allgemeine Feuerversicherung V.a.G.
  • BGV-Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • CG Car-Garantie Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Concordia Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • CONSTANTIA Versicherungen a.G.
  • Continentale Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Cosmos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DARAG Deutschland AG
  • Debeka Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft Sitz Koblenz am Rhein
  • Delvag Versicherungs-AG
  • DEVK Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • DEVK Deutsche Eisenbahn Versicherung Sach- und HUK-Versicherungsverein a.G. Betriebliche…
  • DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG
  • Dialog Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Die Haftpflichtkasse VVaG
  • DOCURA VVaG
  • Dolleruper Freie Brandgilde
  • Domestic & General Insurance Europe AG
  • ERGO Direkt Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • ERGO Reiseversicherung AG
  • ERGO Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Euro-Aviation Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • EUROPA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • EXTREMUS Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Fahrlehrerversicherung Verein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Feuer- und Einbruchschadenkasse der BBBank in Karlsruhe, Versicherungsverein auf…
  • Feuersozietät Berlin Brandenburg Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • GARANTA Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gartenbau-Versicherung VVaG
  • Gebäudeversicherungsgilde für Föhr,Amrum und Halligen
  • Gemeinnützige Haftpflichtversicherungsanstalt Kassel
  • Generali Deutschland Versicherung AG
  • GGG Kraftfahrzeug-Reparaturkosten-Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gothaer Versicherungsbank VVaG
  • Great Lakes Insurance SE
  • GRUNDEIGENTÜMER-VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • GVO Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg VVaG
  • GVV Direktversicherung AG
  • GVV-Kommunalversicherung, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Haftpflichtgemeinschaft Deutscher Nahverkehrs- und Versorgungsunternehmen Allgemein (HDNA) VVaG
  • Hagelgilde Versicherungsverein a.G., gegründet 1811
  • Hamburger Beamten-Feuer-und Einbruchskasse
  • Hamburger Feuerkasse Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Hamburger Lehrer-Feuerkasse
  • HanseMerkur Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG
  • Harsewinkeler Versicherung VaG
  • HDI Global SE
  • HDI Global Specialty SE
  • HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • HDI Versicherung AG
  • Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG Direktion für Deutschland
  • Helvetia Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • HUK-COBURG Haftpflicht-Unterstützungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands a.G. in Coburg
  • HUK-COBURG-Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • HUK24 AG
  • Häger Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Hübener Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • IDEAL Versicherung AG
  • INTER Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Interlloyd Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • InterRisk Versicherungs-AG Vienna Insurance Group.
  • ISSELHORSTER Versicherung V.a.G.
  • Itzehoer Versicherung/Brandgilde von 1691 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Janitos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • KRAVAG-ALLGEMEINE Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • KRAVAG-LOGISTIC Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover
  • LBN Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • Lehrer-Feuerversicherungsverein a.G. für Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • Lifestyle Protection AG
  • Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG
  • Lucura Versicherungs AG
  • LVM Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G.
  • Mannheimer Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Markel Insurance SE
  • Mecklenburgische Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Mercedes-Benz Versicherung AG
  • MVK Versicherung VVaG
  • MÜNCHENER VEREIN Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • NEH Neue Hildener Versicherung AG
  • Neodigital Versicherung AG
  • Neuendorfer Brand-Bau-Gilde
  • Newline Europe Versicherung AG
  • nexible Versicherung AG
  • Nordhemmer Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • NV-Versicherungen VVaG
  • NÜRNBERGER Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • NÜRNBERGER BEAMTEN ALLGEMEINE VERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • OKV - Ostdeutsche Kommunalversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Ostangler Brandgilde, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
  • OSTBEVERNER Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
  • Pallas Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • ProTect Versicherung AG
  • Provinzial Nord Brandkasse Aktiengesellschaft
  • Provinzial Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • PVAG Polizeiversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • R+V Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Real Garant Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • RheinLand Versicherungs Aktiengesellschaft
  • Rhion Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • S DirektVersicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SAARLAND Feuerversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Schleswiger Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • SCHNEVERDINGER Versicherungsverein a.G.
  • SHB Allgemeine Versicherung VVaG
  • SIGNAL IDUNA Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SIGNAL IDUNA Unfallversicherung a. G.
  • Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Stuttgarter Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SV SparkassenVersicherung Gebäudeversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • TRIAS Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Uelzener Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Union Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • uniVersa Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Vereinigte Hagelversicherung VVaG
  • Vereinigte Tierversicherung, Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Sachversicherung AG
  • Versicherungskammer Bayern Versicherungsanstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
  • Versicherungsverband Deutscher Eisenbahnen-Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Verti Versicherung AG
  • VHV Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • VHV Vereinigte Hannoversche Versicherung a.G.
  • Volkswagen Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • VOLKSWOHL-BUND SACHVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • VPV Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • Waldenburger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • WERTGARANTIE SE
  • WGV-Versicherung AG
  • WWK Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Württembergische Gemeinde-Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Württembergische Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Würzburger Versicherungs-AG
  • Zurich Insurance Europe AG
  • Öffentliche Feuerversicherung Sachsen-Anhalt

Source: BaFin company database, 18 September 2026; EU insurers without a German office excluded.

Legal basis and sources

Products and add-ons

Wind turbine policy

One contract with property, loss of revenue and liability sections, tailored to onshore turbines. Clear, but older turbines and anything outside the standard need checking.

Machinery and machinery business interruption

Classic engineering cover with loss of revenue, often for turbines without full service. Liability then runs under a separate policy.

Operator liability for renewable plants

Stand alone liability for wind, solar or biogas, useful when property cover sits in a service contract or a framework agreement.

Erection all risks for construction and repowering

Covers the building phase up to acceptance. Operational cover must start without a gap.

Dismantling surety bond

A bond from an insurer as security for the dismantling commitment towards the permitting authority.

Myth or truth

True or false?

Five things people say about this insurance. Guess first, then see the answer.

German law requires insurance for a wind turbine.

This is false.

False, there is no statutory duty to insure. The lending bank and the landowner can require proof in their contracts, though.

A full service contract protects the turbine completely.

This is false.

False, service contracts usually exclude lightning, storm, fire, vandalism and liability to third parties. That is what the insurance is for.

Loss of revenue is only paid after physical damage to the turbine.

This is true.

True, business interruption depends on an insured physical loss. Low wind or curtailment do not count.

Turbines in open countryside must have security for dismantling.

This is true.

True, the Federal Building Code requires a dismantling commitment and authorities usually secure it with a deposit. A surety bond from an insurer can provide it.

Machinery insurance also pays for gearbox wear.

This is false.

False, wear is excluded under every machinery policy. What is covered is sudden damage, such as a fracture from a material defect.

Common mistakes

  • Not telling the insurer about a move from full service to basic maintenance
  • Leaving park cabling and grid connection point out of the policy
  • Choosing a short indemnity period although spare parts have long lead times
  • Missing deadlines under the overhaul clause and losing cover for major components
  • Not adjusting sums insured and insured revenue once the fixed tariff ends
  • Buying liability cover without the environmental extension despite oil in gearbox and transformer

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does the insurance pay for a gearbox failure?

Yes, if a sudden event such as a material defect or a fracture caused it.

Pure wear is excluded.

For older gearboxes many policies apply a deduction for age,

and an overhaul clause may require proof that the gearbox was overhauled or inspected after a

certain running time.

Do I need insurance if I have a full service contract?

Yes, but different cover.

The full service contract pays for repairs arising from operation but usually excludes lightning,

storm, fire, vandalism and liability to third parties.

Those parts need insurance.

We put both contracts side by side so nothing is paid for twice and nothing is left out.

Is lost revenue from low wind insured?

No.

Only downtime after physical damage to the turbine is covered.

Weak wind years, curtailment by the grid operator and periods of negative power prices are

business risk.

Who is liable if ice falls from a blade onto a car?

The operator, if he breached his duty of care,

for instance because ice detection was not working or warning signs were missing.

Operator liability pays justified claims and defends unfounded ones.

What indemnity period makes sense?

At least six, preferably twelve months.

A blade or gearbox is not always available at once,

and the exchange needs a heavy crane that must be booked as well.

A short indemnity period runs out before the turbine is back online.

Can an older turbine still be insured?

Usually yes, with more scrutiny.

Insurers often ask for an expert report on gearbox,

blades and tower and set higher deductibles or deductions for major components.

If you plan to keep running after the fixed tariff ends, renegotiate the policy in good time.

Is the construction phase included?

Normally not.

Erection and repowering are covered by erection all risks insurance up to acceptance;

the operational policy then has to follow without a gap.

Why use a broker for wind turbine insurance?

Because the German market is small and every turbine is assessed individually.

We compare maintenance contract, lender requirements and insurance,

obtain quotes and support you when a claim comes in.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Wind turbines

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge.

You can write in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Wind turbine insurance

For example Enercon E-82, 2,300 kW

For example end of the service contract, lender requirements, site in a forest, planned repowering

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Free of charge and without obligation. A person will get back to you.

Often goes with it

Erection all risks

Do I need erection all risks cover for an installation job in Germany?

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