European expansion of wind energy is insufficient if the EU is to reach its own climate targets, according to new figures released by Brussels-based wind energy association WindEurope.
Credit: WindEurope
Credit: WindEurope
The association, which promotes wind power across the bloc, has released its annual statistics for 2021. The statistics showed that last year a total of 17.4 GW of new wind power was installed in Europe as a whole, and 11 GW across the 27 EU member states, bringing the total capacity to 236 GW.
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According to WindEurope, if the EU is to achieve its own energy and climate targets, a further 30 GW per year is needed between 2022 and 2026.
In 2021, 81% of new wind capacity in Europe was onshore wind. The countries that built the most were the UK, Sweden, Germany, Turkey and the Netherlands in that order. Sweden built the most onshore wind; the UK built the most offshore wind.
The problem, claims WindEurope, is not ambition, but the permitting process. The industry argues that Europe is not permitting anything like the volumes of new wind farms needed to reach climate goals, and that almost none of the Member States meet the deadlines for permitting procedures required in the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
It also claimed that permitting rules and procedures are too complex and the authorities are often inadequately staffed.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, WindEurope said the low volumes of permitted projects are impacting Europe’s wind turbine manufacturers and wider supply chain.
It also said that the industry is also having to grapple with higher prices for steel and other commodities, as well as disrupted international supply chains due to the pandemic.
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In 2021 four out of Europe’s five wind turbine manufacturers were operating at a loss, the group claimed.
"The European wind industry is losing money, closing factories and shedding jobs – just when it should be growing to meet the huge expansion of wind power Europe wants," said Giles Dickson, WindEurope CEO.
"If this continues, the Green Deal is in trouble, not to mention Europe’s energy security goals."
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