The article was published in association with Energy and climate.
“In Norway, strong local opposition and laws that allow local communities to block projects have created a bleak outlook for onshore wind,” lobbying organization Wind Europe concluded in its report. Annual Report Which was presented in Brussels on Wednesday.
But Norway is still one of the 20 countries in Europe (Great Britain, Turkey and 17 EU countries) whose electricity needs are covered by wind energy for more than 10%.
In Denmark, which ranks first, the figure is 56 percent. Seven other countries get more than a quarter of their electricity needs from wind.
The countries highlighted, where a lot of new wind capacity is now being built, are Germany and Spain, which have been granted permits to increase on-ground wind capacity by 70 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Up to 79 percent of installed wind capacity in Europe in 2023 was onshore.
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19% of electricity consumption
Offshore wind accounted for 21% of installations in Europe in 2023, with 3.8 GW of new capacity connected to the grid. Nearly half of the newly connected capacity was in the Netherlands (1.9 MW), with the rest coming from the UK (833 MW), France (360 MW), Denmark (344 MW), Germany (329 MW) and Norway (35 MW). .
The share of wind energy in EU electricity consumption was 19 percent in 2023, and solar energy accounted for 8 percent. The total share of renewable energy reached 42 percent of electricity production.
On the way to the goal, but…
The report includes projections for new wind installations in the period 2024-30. This data is based on data such as announced investments, permit data, and public auction volumes. In 2030, the EU (and Norway) must reduce emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels. A significant increase in renewable energy production will be required to phase out polluting forms of energy.
Wind Europe estimates that the EU will install 29 GW per year on average from 2024 to 2030. This would take the EU's installed wind power capacity to 393 GW in 2030. This is very close to the 425 GW needed to meet climate targets. and energy in Europe.
“From 2024 to 2030, two-thirds of new installations will remain on land. But offshore installations will rebound quickly at the end of the decade. The report concludes that in 2030, new installations at sea will be almost identical to new installations on land.
According to Wind Europe, the biggest obstacle to further development of wind energy is the timely installation of power grids at sea and on land.
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