Europe's Offshore Wind Capacity Growing
New capacity edges down 5 pct from record 2013; industry body forecasts stable growth over 2015/6. Europe's offshore wind capacity kept up a steady rate of growth in 2014 and should expand at a similar pace on average over the coming two years, an industry report said on Friday. New capacity connected to the grid totalled 1,483 megawatts (MW), edging down from 1,567 MW in 2013 when a record number of turbines and wind farms were installed, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) said. Total installed wind capacity now stands at around 8,045 MW, enough to cover 1 percent of Europe's electricity needs, it said. "It is not surprising that we see a levelling off of installations in 2014 following a record year in 2013," EWEA Deputy Chief Executive Justin Wilkes said in a statement.
Favourable Offshore European Wind May Change Direction
Europe adds 1,045 MW of offshore wind in the first half of 2013, but there are challenges ahead according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). 277 new offshore wind turbines, totalling 1,045 megawatts (MW), were fully grid connected in Europe during the first six months of 2013. This is double compared to the same period in 2012 when 523.2 MW were installed. In addition, 268 foundations were installed and 254 turbines erected, all during the first 181 days of the year.
Call for Offshore Wind Support Ships
The Community of European Shipyards’ Association (CESA) and the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) are calling on the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support the building of new ships to serve the expanding offshore wind energy market over the coming years. CESA and EWEA urge the European Commission to develop programs and funding mechanisms, and for the European Investment Bank to take the necessary measures to support the risk related to the necessary significant investments, to ensure that a sufficient number of installation vessels are available to the offshore wind industry. They also argue that the offshore wind power industry should be identified as a key industry in the EU’s 2020 strategy for smart, green growth.
