Wind power in Europe

Wind power installed in Europe in 2013

As of 2023, Europe had a total installed wind capacity of 255 gigawatts (GW).[1] In 2017, a total of 15,680 MW of wind power was installed, representing 55% of all new power capacity, and the wind power generated 336 TWh of electricity, enough to supply 11.6% of the EU's electricity consumption.[2]

In Q4 2023, wind power exceeded coal in European electricity generation for the first time, generating 193 TWh compared to coal's 184 TWh. Despite wind installation challenges, wind generation rose by 20% from 2022. New policies aim to further boost wind power in 2024.[3]

The European Wind Energy Association (now WindEurope) has estimated that 230 gigawatts of wind capacity will be installed in Europe by 2020, consisting of 190 GW onshore and 40 GW offshore. This would produce 14-17% of the EU's electricity, avoiding 333 million tonnes of CO2 per year and saving Europe €28 billion a year in fuel costs.[4][5]

Research from a wide variety of sources in various European countries shows that support for wind power is consistently about 80 per cent among the general public.[6]

By 2020, 56% wind power penetration was achieved in Denmark, 36% in Lithuania, 35% in Ireland, 23% in Portugal, 23% in Germany, 20% in Spain, 18% in Greece, 16% in Sweden, 15% (avg) in the EU.[7]

  1. ^ "Wind energy in Europe: 2022 Statistics and the outlook for 2023-2027". WindEurope. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Wind in Power 2017" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Wind overtakes coal for electricity generation in Europe". Reuters. 10 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ The Harris Poll#119 (13 October 2010). "Large Majorities in U.S. and Five Largest European Countries Favor More Wind Farms and Subsidies for Bio-fuels, but Opinion is Split on Nuclear Power". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "The Social Acceptance of Wind Energy". European Commission. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Share of electricity production from wind, 2020". Ourworldindata.org. Retrieved 27 December 2020.