The European Union set a new record for new power generation capacity in 2011, with renewable energy infrastructure making up over 70 percent of new installations for the year according to a report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).
Renewable energy installations accounted for 71.3 percent, or 32,043 MW, from a combined 44,939 MW of new power capacity introduced across the EU in 2011.
One striking feature of the “Wind in Power” report is that new solar PV installations – at 21,000 MW – were actually more than double that of wind, making new solar power capacity the biggest contributor by far to Europe’s total energy mix in 2011.
Wind power accounted for an overall 21.4 percent of the EU’s total power capacity, with 9,616 MW of new wind energy worth around €12.6 billion installed last year. This represents a 10.5 percent increase in wind capacity.
Annual market growth in wind energy has grown at a steady 15.6 percent rate, spurred by healthy investment in Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK. Almost 100,000 MW of wind power is now installed in the European Union, producing some 204 TWh of electricity – or 6.3 percent of total EU energy consumption.
“Despite the economic crisis gripping Europe, the wind industry is still installing solid levels of new capacity,” said Justin Wilkes, Policy Director of EWEA.
For just the third time since 1998, the EU installed more coal-fired power than it decommissioned, leading to calls from EWEA for an urgent move to a 30 percent greenhouse gas reduction target for 2020.
“It is critical to send positive signals to investors by European governments maintaining stable policies to support renewables and for the European Union to commit to put in place a binding renewable energy target for 2030,” Wilkes said.
