According to the European association WindEurope, the expansion of wind energy on the continent is still progressing too slowly. Orders for wind turbines in Europe have increased compared to the previous year, but: “Europe is not building enough new wind farms to meet its energy targets for 2030. The number will increase over the next six years, but not enough,” says Managing Director Giles Dickson.
In the first half of 2024, new wind farms with a capacity of 6.4 gigawatts were built. Germany achieved the largest increase with 1.7 gigawatts, followed by France with 1.2 gigawatts. Compared to the same period last year, orders for wind turbines in Europe rose by eleven percent in the first half of 2024 and by around a third in the European Union. However, the number of newly built systems is slightly lower than expected.
Bottlenecks in the electricity grids
According to the association, there is an urgent need for action, particularly in the expansion of the grids and in the approval processes. WindEurope expects that the EU will have a capacity of 350 gigawatts of wind energy by 2030. The EU’s target is 425 gigawatts, according to the association. As of June 2024, it had around 225 gigawatts.
“Governments must act urgently to implement EU licensing rules,” says Dickson. To promote the expansion of wind power, the EU has already adopted a wind power package with various aid measures.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240912-930-230797/1
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