Brussels, 11/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 10 February, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) announced that the wind energy industry installed more new electricity capacity in the EU in 2014 than gas and coal combined. Across the 28 EU member states, the wind industry connected a total of 11,791 megawatts to the grid, with coal and gas adding 3,305 MW and 2,338 MW respectively.
Furthermore, the coal and gas industries both retired more capacity than they commissioned in 2014. In comparison, wind energy capacity in Europe increased by 5.3% compared with 2013, with cumulative installations now standing at 128.8 gigawatts in the EU. Wind energy can now cover 10% of the EU's electricity consumption, compared with 8% in 2013. Germany and the UK remain the engines of the wind industry, with 5,279 MW and 1,736 MW of capacity installed respectively in 2014 - in other words, 60% of the total.
In total, renewable power (including wind energy, solar and biomass) accounted for 79% of the total power connected to the European electricity grid (21.3 GW of the 26.9 GW installed) in 2014, compared with 72% in 2013. However, the EWEA guards against complacency. “The uncertainty over the regulatory framework for the energy sector is a threat to the continued drive toward sustainable and home-grown energy that will guarantee Europe's energy security and competitiveness for the long term”, the EWEA states, urging Europe's political leaders to “send a clear signal of their support for the shift to a secure and sustainable energy system” as part of the project for Energy Union. (Emmanuel Hagry)