The EU built a record 17GW of new wind energy in 2023, slightly up on 2022, but it is not enough to reach the EU’s 2030 targets said WindEurope.
The industry body also found the sector made up 19% of all electricity produced in Europe last year.
According to WindEurope data, the EU built 17GW of new wind farms in 2023 – 14GW onshore and 3GW offshore. These numbers are slightly up on 2022 and are the most the EU has ever built in a single year, but are still well below the 30GW a year required to hit the 2030 target.
Germany built the most capacity, followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. The Netherlands led offshore, including the 1.5GW Hollandse Kust Zuid which is currently the world’s largest wind farm.
The IEA estimates Europe will build 23GW a year of new wind over 2024-2028. The actions set out in EU Wind Power Package should deliver a significant increase in the annual build-out and strengthen Europe’s wind energy supply chain said WindEurope. National implementation of the actions is key it added.
To that end the commitment to deliver the Wind Power Package that 26 EU Energy Ministers signed before Christmas in the European Wind Charter was crucial said the trade body. Key actions include the further simplification of permitting, improvements in the design of the auctions to build new wind farms and public financial support for wind turbine manufacturing and key infrastructure it added.
Alongside the 19% of wind electricity produced in the EU last year, WindEurope found hydro made up 13%, solar 8% and biomass 3%. Renewables in total amounted to 44% of electricity produced its data revealed.
The amount of electricity produced from 1GW of wind continued to grow. The “capacity factor” of new onshore wind farms now ranges from 30%-48%, and new offshore wind is consistently 50% found the industry body. The capacity factor measures how much output you get from a unit of capacity and varies between different technologies.