EU offshore wind farms increase

EU has 948 wind turbines

According to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), there has been a strong growth in the wind market with 118 new offshore wind turbines being connected to the EU power grid during the first half of the year.

Already, the turbines installed, that have a capacity of 333MW, account for well over the half of the 577MW that was installed last year off the shores of the continent. With reports that EU wind energy is to increase by 13 percent this year alone, the report shows the strong growth of the wind industry in Europe, despite the financial constraints of the recession.

While these figures are impressive in their own right, it is interesting to learn that there are 151 turbines with a capacity of 440MW that are still not yet connected to the grid.

European farms

Currently, the EU has 948 offshore wind turbines situated in 43 different offshore wind farms. They have a total capacity of 2,396MW.

The developers that have been leading the renewable push include E.ON Climate and Renewables, who has developed at least 64 percent of the offshore capacity grid connected during the first half of 2010. Other renewable energy firms Dong and Vattenfal have developed 21 percent and 11 percent respectively.

Manufacturer-wise, Siemens accounted for 55 percent of the offshore capacity grid connected during the first half of 2010, while Vestas and REpower respectively contributed 36 percent and nine percent.

Speaking about the report, Justin Wilkes, Director of Policy at EWEA said, "Despite the financial crisis offshore wind continues to be a major growth industry. The number of offshore wind turbines connected to the grid is in the first half of this year is well over half the total amount installed all last year and I am confident we are heading for a record year.

"There is no doubt this burgeoning industry is being held back by a lack of finance. Projects led by utilities are less affected thanks to their ability to fund investments from their balance sheets but independent developers are severely constrained. Loans from public institutions such as the European Investment Bank are crucial and have already helped a number of projects, and this support must be extended further."

Relevant articles:

62% of new EU electricity in 2009 was renewable | Europe wind energy to increase by 13% in 2010 | Gwynt y Mor - Bringing wind energy to Wales

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