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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Wind energy continued its rapid rise throughout Europe in 2017, with generation records being broken across a number of key European countries, including Germany, Denmark and the U.K..
In Denmark, wind power hit a record high of 43.6% of the country's electricity consumption in 2017, according to the industry group Dansk Energi. Danish wind turbines generated a total of about 14,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2017, breaking the 2015 record of 42% of all power supplied by wind. Denmark has a combined onshore and offshore wind capacity of 5.3 GW.
Lars Aagaard, chief executive officer of Dansk Energi, praised the continued shift to cleaner energy: "We have opened a new chapter in the green change. It is equally important to look at how we best use the amazing resource, that we have a cheap, green and stable power supply. Electricity must replace gasoline, oil and gas."
In Germany, data from the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry showed that offshore windfarms generated more than 17 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2017, a big jump from the 12.3 TWh of electricity produced in 2016. Offshore wind has been the most active renewable energy investment sector in Germany in recent years. Last year, Industrial Info tracked a number of key German offshore wind projects. In the first six months of 2017, two German offshore windfarms were commissioned--Sandbank and Veja Mate--with a combined generating capacity of 626 megawatts (MW). German wind industry groups estimated that Germany would add almost 900 MW of new offshore by the end of last year, up from 2016's 818 MW. They are confident that Germany will easily exceed its 6.5 GW target by 2020 and have up to 7.7 GW connected to the grid by that time. Last summer, Germany had 1,055 offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 4,749 MW in operation.
For the U.K., wind and solar power were at the forefront in 2017, generating three times the power of coal-fired plants. For three quarters of the year, windfarms generated more electricity than coal-fired plants, while solar produced more power than coal for half of the year. Coal's share in the country's electricity mix fell to 7%, reflecting the U.K.'s government's continued move away from coal-fired power. The phasing out of coal has been rapid in recent years. Coal-fired power generated about 40% of the country's electricity in 2012, but by 2016 it had dropped to 9%. Industrial Info has reported on the U.K. government's plans to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2025. For additional information, see November 23, 2015, article - U.K. Calls Time on Coal-Fired Power.
Dr. Andrew Crossland from MyGridGB and the Durham Energy Institute said: "The government has focused on reducing coal use, which now supplies less than 7% of our electricity. However, if we continue to use gas at the rate that we do, then Britain will miss carbon targets and be dangerously exposed to supply and price risks in the international gas markets."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
In Denmark, wind power hit a record high of 43.6% of the country's electricity consumption in 2017, according to the industry group Dansk Energi. Danish wind turbines generated a total of about 14,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in 2017, breaking the 2015 record of 42% of all power supplied by wind. Denmark has a combined onshore and offshore wind capacity of 5.3 GW.
Lars Aagaard, chief executive officer of Dansk Energi, praised the continued shift to cleaner energy: "We have opened a new chapter in the green change. It is equally important to look at how we best use the amazing resource, that we have a cheap, green and stable power supply. Electricity must replace gasoline, oil and gas."
In Germany, data from the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry showed that offshore windfarms generated more than 17 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2017, a big jump from the 12.3 TWh of electricity produced in 2016. Offshore wind has been the most active renewable energy investment sector in Germany in recent years. Last year, Industrial Info tracked a number of key German offshore wind projects. In the first six months of 2017, two German offshore windfarms were commissioned--Sandbank and Veja Mate--with a combined generating capacity of 626 megawatts (MW). German wind industry groups estimated that Germany would add almost 900 MW of new offshore by the end of last year, up from 2016's 818 MW. They are confident that Germany will easily exceed its 6.5 GW target by 2020 and have up to 7.7 GW connected to the grid by that time. Last summer, Germany had 1,055 offshore wind turbines with a total capacity of 4,749 MW in operation.
For the U.K., wind and solar power were at the forefront in 2017, generating three times the power of coal-fired plants. For three quarters of the year, windfarms generated more electricity than coal-fired plants, while solar produced more power than coal for half of the year. Coal's share in the country's electricity mix fell to 7%, reflecting the U.K.'s government's continued move away from coal-fired power. The phasing out of coal has been rapid in recent years. Coal-fired power generated about 40% of the country's electricity in 2012, but by 2016 it had dropped to 9%. Industrial Info has reported on the U.K. government's plans to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2025. For additional information, see November 23, 2015, article - U.K. Calls Time on Coal-Fired Power.
Dr. Andrew Crossland from MyGridGB and the Durham Energy Institute said: "The government has focused on reducing coal use, which now supplies less than 7% of our electricity. However, if we continue to use gas at the rate that we do, then Britain will miss carbon targets and be dangerously exposed to supply and price risks in the international gas markets."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
