2017 a record year for European wind

Statistics from Wind Europe have revealed that 2017 was a record year for wind energy. There was 15.7 GW of new capacity added, an increase of 20% on 2016, taking total installed capacity to 169 GW.

As a whole, renewable energy accounted for almost all new EU power installations in 2017. Making up 55% of all power capacity installations, wind power is now Europe’s second-largest source of electricity.

With 56 GW of installed wind power capacity, Germany remains out in front, followed by Spain with 23GW, the UK (19 GW) and France (14 GW).

2017 also marked a record year for offshore wind in Europe, with 13 new offshore wind farms completed and 3.1 GW installed, primarily within the UK and Germany. Total capacity now stands at 15.8 GW, a 25% increase in the space of a year. Europe now has over 4,000 offshore wind turbines operating across 11 countries, with a further 11 offshore windfarms currently under construction.

Commenting on the findings, WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson said:

“2017 was a strong year for wind energy with a high number of new installations and wind accounting for 12% of Europe’s electricity. It’s further evidence that wind is mainstream and delivers bang for your buck. It’s cheap, increasingly stable, and industrial consumers are now turning to it as an energy source of choice. It’s now clear given the recent expansion of renewables and the rapidly falling costs that Europe can deliver on a 35% renewables target for 2030.”

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