Sian Crampsie
Wind energy added more new capacity than any other form of power in Europe in 2015, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) says. Wind accounted for 44 % of all new power installations in the European Union in 2015 and connected a total of 12.8 GW to the grid. The volume of new wind installations increased by 6.3 % in 2015 compared with 2014, EWEA says in a new report.
A total of 9.8 GW of onshore wind was connected in 2015 and 3 GW offshore. Wind generating capacity in Europe now stands at 142 GW and covers over 11 % of the region's electricity needs.
"These numbers show that wind is the driving force behind the EU's energy transition," said Giles Dickson, CEO of EWEA. "Wind energy is a mature industry. It makes economic sense and is contributing significantly to Europe's energy security and competitiveness goals."
Overall, renewable energy accounted for 77 % of new power plant installations in 2015 with a total of 22.3 GW added.
Investment in new onshore and offshore wind farms reached €26.4 billion, a 40 % increase on 2014, with both onshore and offshore attracting record levels of capital. Almost half the new wind installations in 2015 were in Germany. Poland was the second largest installer with 1.3 GW of new capacity, followed by France with 1 GW.
Dickson said: "We've seen strong expansion in Germany in 2015 and a strong year for offshore wind. But growth is uneven geographically. We're not doing as well in countries where the policy and regulation is unclear and/or ineffective - investors and developers go elsewhere.
"As of now only six out of the 28 EU states have clear targets and policies in place for renewables post-2020. We see more ambition in emerging economies - which puts a question mark by the EU's goal to be No. 1 in renewables.
"The Commission's proposal for a new Renewable Energy Directive, due in December, is a key opportunity to drive greater ambition from member states in the absence of binding national targets."
Offshore wind investments double
EWEA reports that offshore wind investments in Europe doubled in 2015 to €13.3 billion in 2015.
In a record year for financing and installations, over 3 GW of new offshore wind energy capacity came online in European waters last year. Europe's total offshore installed wind capacity now stands at just over 11 GW.
2015 also saw over 3 GW of new offshore capacity - spread across ten projects - reach final investment decision, a twofold increase on 2014. "It's good to see the high levels of investments in offshore wind in Europe in 2015," said Giles Dickson. "The 3 GW of new capacity additions is also encouraging 'though it includes a large backlog of grid connections from 2014, especially in Germany."
Germany connected 2282 MW of new offshore wind capacity, the UK 556 MW and the Netherlands 180 MW last year, with a total of 14 projects completed by the three countries. Work is ongoing on a further six projects in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands, which will contribute an additional 1.9GW in capacity.
With a net addition of 754 wind turbines fully grid connected in 2015, the average machine size rose to 4.2 MW from 3.7 MW a year earlier as manufacturers continue to develop larger models with higher energy capture.
Dickson said: "New capacity additions will be lower in 2016 than 2015 though should then rebound, and we can expect to have over 20 GW offshore wind in Europe by 2020.
"The real question is what happens after 2020. The industry is making real progress in reducing costs. We need governments to give us a clear vision of the volumes they envisage long term and the regulatory framework they'll apply to drive the necessary investments."
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