Europe installed 12.5 GW of gross additional wind capacity in 2016. This was 3% less than the new installations in 2015. With a total installed capacity of 153.7 GW, wind energy now overtakes coal as the second largest form of power generation capacity in Europe.
2016 annual figures
- 12.5 GW of new wind power capacity was installed and grid-connected in the EU during 2016, a decrease of 3% compared to 2015 annual installations. 10,923 MW were installed onshore, and 1,567 MW were installed offshore.
- Wind power installed more than any other form of power generation in Europe in 2016. Wind power accounted for 51% of total power capacity installations.
- Renewable energy accounted for 86% of all new EU power installations in 2016: 21.1 GW of a total 24.5 GW of new power capacity.
- With almost 300 TWh generated in 2016, wind power covered 10.4 % of the EU’s electricity demand.
- €27.5 billion were invested in 2016 to finance wind energy development. This was 5% more than the total investment in 2015.
Source: WindEurope asbl/vzw, February 9th, 2017
www.windeurope.org
s. Onshore wind energy: Analysis of the German market in 2016 and outlook for 2017
s. Wind energy added more new capacity than any other form of power in Europe in 2015.
s. New record-breaking year for Danish wind power
c. Wind power to serve a quarter of Europe’s electricity demand by 2030
