Brussels, 09/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - With13 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity throughout the EU in 2015, wind accounted for 44% of all new power installations in the EU and contributed more electric production capacity than any other form of energy in Europe. With 142 GW of existing capacity it has subsequently become the third source of electricity production in the EU, according to the most recent report by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) published on Tuesday 9 February.
Total connections to the grid in new wind power capacity stood at 12.8GW in 2015 (6.3% up on 2014) - 9,766MW in onshore and 3,034MW offshore.
Renewables accounted for 77% of new power plant installations in 2015: 22.3GW of a total 29GW. Total wind capacity in Europe now stands at 142GW (131GW in onshore and 11GW offshore) out a total electricity production capacity in the EU of GW908).
Wind power is now the main source of renewable energy in Europe in terms of electricity capacity and accounts for 15.6% of all electricity installations, ahead of hydroelectricity (15.5%), nuclear power (13.2%) but it is still behind gas (21.1%) and coal (17.5%).
Almost half the new wind installations in 2015 were in Germany (47%) and it still has the largest number of wind power installations in Europe (45GW), ahead of Spain (23 GW), United Kingdom (13.6 GW) and France (10.4 GW).
The total wind power capacity installed at the end of 2015 could produce 315 TWh and cover 11.4% of the EU electricity consumption in a normal wind year. €26.4 billion was invested in Europe in 2015 to finance wind energy development. This was 40% more than the total investment in 2014.
The EWEA points out that there were still major disparities between the different countries in their new installations in 2015, which reflect the relative efficiency of the regulatory frameworks and the uncertainty regarding the future of energy policy in EU member states.
The EWEA states that “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”. According to the EWEA, only six out of the 28 EU member states have set themselves targets and have clear policies in place for renewables after 2020. The organisation concludes “We see more ambition in emerging economies - which puts a question mark by the EU's goal to be No. 1 in renewables”. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)