Europe On Target for Record Year for Wind Power

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

Summary

Europe is on track for a record year for wind power with 8.8  gigawatts (GW) of new capacity installed in the first half of 2026.

Germany Leads the Way

Europe is aiming for a record year for wind farm installations with 8.8 gigawatts (GW) added in the first half of 2026, a jump of 30% on the same period in 2025.  

The growth was led by Germany which accounted for 39% (3.4 GW) of all new capacity. Leading wind association WindEurope stated that due to a strong summer of installations Europe will install an estimated 24.1 GW in 2026, a notable increase of 19.1 GW installed in 2025. It will be a record for the European wind sector despite being a little lower than an earlier forecast of 25.4 GW. According to Industrial Info Resources data, there are more than 5,000 wind power projects in Europe worth more than US$1.2 trillion in investment.  

Wind Power Breakdown

In WindEurope's Autumn Report onshore wind made up 74% of new installations for a total of 6.5 GW, but it noted that, apart from Germany, onshore wind permitting volumes in H1 2026 were "disappointing," with approvals declining in all monitored markets compared with the same period in 2025. Of the 8.8 GW installed, 7.1 GW of the new capacity was installed in the EU-27, comprising 5.4 GW onshore and 1.7 GW offshore. New offshore wind installations in Europe were 2.3 GW for H1. Germany installed the most onshore wind in H1 2026, with nearly 2.4 GW, 7% more than in H1 2025. Spain was second in capacity terms in H1 2026 with 612 megawatts (MW), nearly one-third less than the 889 MW it added in H1 2025. In third, Poland commissioned 456 MW of new onshore wind capacity in H1 2026, 3.6 times the capacity put in operation over the same period in 2025. 

For offshore, Europe connected 2.3 GW of new offshore wind capacity in the first half of 2026. This was over three times more than in H1 2025, when 741 MW was connected. The connected capacity came from nine projects across Germany, the U.K., Denmark and France. For the remainder of 2026, WindEurope expects that overall onshore and offshore installations will be higher, which is typical. It expects 15.2 GW of installations in the second half of the year, with 11.5 GW of that in the European Union (EU). 

Market Leaders

Germany installed the most wind power capacity in H1 2026 (3.4 GW), followed by the U.K. (789 MW), Spain (612 MW) and France (556 MW). Germany, the U.K., and Spain together installed 4.8 GW, 55% of Europe's total, including 1.7 GW of offshore wind capacity across Germany and the U.K..

Auctions, Tenders & Financing

Five countries awarded support to a total of 17.2 GW of wind energy capacity in the first half of 2026 - 8.8 GW for onshore wind and 8.4 GW for offshore wind. They were led by the U.K. and Germany, which accounted for the vast majority of more than 15.6 GW, followed by France, Greece and Czechia. Governments in Europe plan to auction support to more than 24 GW of wind energy capacity in the second half of 2026. This includes 11.3 GW of onshore wind and 12.9 GW of offshore wind energy capacity. In the first six months of 2026, nearly €9 billion (US$10.5 billion) was invested in new wind farms in Europe - less than in H1 2025 with smaller financing volumes in both the onshore and offshore sectors. WindEurope stated: "While onshore financing activity was lower than in H1 2025, financing volumes remained within the range observed in recent years. The lower volumes likely reflect bottlenecks in bringing projects to a financeable, construction-ready stage, rather than a lack of investor appetite." 

Offshore wind investment activity was limited in H1 2026 with just Nordlicht II reaching a final investment decision (FID). The project is expected to become operational by the end of 2028. "The low level of offshore financing should be interpretedwith caution," the report stated. "Offshore investment volumes can fluctuate significantly between reporting periods because a small number of large projects account for most financing activity. However, the low level of offshore financing activity also likely reflects the difficulty of progressing awarded projects to FID and construction. Around 48 GW of offshore capacity awarded since 2015 has yet to reach FID."

Obstacles

"2026 may well be a record wind year but we can't take that momentum for granted," cautioned Tinne Van der Straeten, chief executive officer of WindEurope. "Just when we need wind the most to boost Europe's economic resilience, permitting volumes are down in key markets. Government decisions on permitting, auctions, grids and electrification in the coming months will make or break this momentum." The report found that permitting "continues to be a major obstacle to the expansion of wind energy across Europe". Germany has demonstrated that faster permitting is possible, but WindEurope said that most other European markets saw permitting volumes decline in the first half of 2026. "This highlights the continued gap between political ambitions and the pace at which new wind projects are being approved." The implementation of the [European Commission's] revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) remains slow.

Key Takeaways

• Europe installed a record 8.8  gigawatts (GW) of new wind capacity in the first half of 2026. 
• It is on target for a record 2026 with an expected installation total of 24.1 GW.
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than 5,000 wind power projects in Europe worth more than US$1.2 trillion in investment. 

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).