According to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), offshore wind energy capacity in Europe is projected to increase 17-fold between 2010 and 2020.
The report, based on details of plans provided by European countries (all 27 EU member states) also estimates terrestrial wind farms and biomass electricity installed capacity to double, with solar photovoltaic capacity to triple over the same time-frame. The electricity-generating capacity of concentrated solar power will increase 11 times the capacity of 2010.
The total gross production from renewable energy sources (RES) is expected to reach 244.5 Mtoe (Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent) in the year 2020.
The biggest contribution is expected from wind power – 40.6% – with onshore wind power the major contributor at 28.2%. The second largest renewables technology will be hydropower at 30.4%, followed by biomass electricity at 19.1%, then solar electricity (all forms) at 8.5%.
Onshore wind capacity is expected to reach 168.8 gigawatts (GW) by 2020, offshore wind 44.2GW and solar photovoltaic, 54.4 GW.
Jacqueline McGlade, EEA Executive Director, said the report is a demonstration of the EU’s commitment to renewable energy, but warns of complacency given another recent EEA study found “pollution from coal and gas power plants is costing Europe many billions of euros a year in health costs”.
Like Australia, the EU has a target of generating 20% of its energy needs from renewables by 2020. Under a ‘additional energy efficiency scenario’, the EEA’s projections shows the EU meeting its target. The EU was already well on the way by 2009, when an estimated 11.7 % of energy used in the region was sourced from renewables.
The EEA is an agency of the European Union, tasked to assist the community and member nations make improvements on environmental issues and integrating sustainability concepts into economic policies.
The full 244 page report can be downloaded here (PDF).
