WindEurope: New EU wind capacity not enough to meet environmental targets

Wind power provided 20% of Europe's electricity last year, but the capacity built during the year was less than half of what would have been needed to meet the EU's 2030 energy and environmental targets, according to data published on Friday by lobby group WindEurope, Reuters reports, according to Agerpres.

The share of wind power in Europe's electricity production has increased over the past 20 years, and the EU wants the trend to accelerate to meet environmental targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

In its annual report, WindEurope announced that 15 gigawatts (GW) of new wind power capacity was built in Europe last year, including 13 GW in offshore wind farms and about 2 GW in onshore wind farms.

EU member states were responsible for 13 GW of this new wind power capacity, but to meet the 2030 environmental targets, 30 GW of new wind farms would need to be built annually.

The EU wants wind power to account for 34% of electricity consumption by 2030 and over 50% by 2050.

In recent years, the global offshore wind industry has faced difficulties due to infrastructure, grid connection and logistical issues, delays in granting permits and higher component costs. In Europe, investment in offshore wind farms has fallen and it remains a challenge for companies to make the final investment decision, warns WindEurope.

"Europe is not building enough new wind power capacity for three reasons: most governments are not enforcing EU permitting regulations, new grid connections are delayed and Europe has not electrified its economy fast enough," said WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

• Germany reaches 100 gigawatts of installed PV capacity

Photovoltaics made another significant advance in Germany in 2024, with figures recently published by a trade association showing that, for the first time in history, total installed PV capacity exceeded 100 gigawatts (GW), DPA reported.

The German Solar Industry Association reported that 17 GW of production capacity was installed last year, almost 10% more than in 2023. The association added that around 14% of Germany's total electricity consumption was covered by photovoltaic systems last year.

The main source of photovoltaic energy production in 2024 was photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of residential buildings, which had an output of around 38 GW.

However, the largest capacity increase was recorded in the case of ground-mounted photovoltaic parks, which with 6.3 GW were responsible for more than a third of all new capacity installed in Germany in 2024, an increase of 40% compared to 2023. The expansion of plug-in photovoltaic panels, also known as balcony plants, also continued, whose capacity doubled to almost 0.7 GW.

"With such a large increase in the next two years, we will be close to reaching our goals," says Carsten Kornig, director of the German Solar Industry Association, noting: "However, reaching the next turning points in the energy transition is not a certainty."

The German government's target is a photovoltaic power generation capacity of around 215 GW by 2030, more than double the current capacity.

To achieve this target, the next government in Berlin should also remove the remaining barriers and secure new investments, the German Solar Industry Association said.