EU Adds 17 GW New Wind Energy In 2023, Fails To Meet 30 GW Target

EU Adds 17 GW New Wind Energy In 2023, Fails To Meet 30 GW Target

A latest data by WindEurope found that European Union (EU) built 17 GW of new wind farms in 2023. The report also said that the EU installed 14 GW of onshore and 3 GW of offshore wind energy.

The EU report stated, “These numbers are slightly up on 2022 and are the most the EU has ever built in a single year. But it’s well below the 30 GW a year that the EU needs to build to meet its new 2030 climate and energy security targets.”

It added, “The EU built 17 GW of new wind energy in 2023, slightly up from 2022 – and more than ever in a single year in fact. But it’s not enough to reach the EU’s 2030 targets. The EU should be building 30 GW of new wind every year between now and 2030. The actions set out in the EU Wind Power Package and European Wind Charter will help increase the annual build-out – national implementation is key. Wind was 19% of all electricity produced in Europe’s last year.”

It also said, “Germany built the newest wind capacity followed by the Netherlands and Sweden. The Netherlands built the newest offshore wind, including the 1.5 GW Hollandse Kust Zuid – for now the world’s largest wind farm.” The IEA estimates that Europe will build 23 GW a year of new wind over 2024-28. The actions set out in the EU Wind Power Package should deliver a significant increase in the annual build-out – and strengthen Europe’s wind energy supply chain. National implementation of the actions is key.”

To that end, the report said, the commitment to deliver the Wind Power Package that 26 EU Energy Ministers signed before Christmas in the European Wind Charter was a key. Crucial actions include further simplifying permitting, improvements in the design of the auctions to build new wind farms and public financial support for wind turbine manufacturing and key infrastructure.

Wind was 19% of the electricity produced in the EU last year. Hydro was 13%, solar was 8%, and biomass was 3%. Renewables amounted to 44% of electricity produced in total, it said. 

The amount of electricity produced from 1 GW 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%. The capacity factor measures how much output you get from a capacity unit – it varies between different renewable technologies.