By Isabella Kaminski
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has published its scenarios for onshore and offshore wind power deployment in the EU, ahead of the European Commission's Energy Roadmap 2050 due to be published later this year.
According to the Pure Power report, electricity production from wind power in the EU could increase from 182 Twh (5.5% of total EU demand) in 2010 to 581 TWh (15.7% of total demand) in 2020.
The EWEA predicts that by 2020 wind-generated energy will be equivalent to the total electricity consumption of households in France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK together.
By 2030 1,154 TWh (28% of total demand) would be produced by wind power, more than the EU's predicted 241 million private households are expected to consume in 2030.
Justin Wilkes, Policy Director of EWEA, says: "Wind energy will more than triple its power output by 2020 with 194 billion Euros invested in European onshore and offshore wind farms in this decade. This success is mainly driven by a strong EU regulatory framework to 2020, which we need also after 2020."
Expected increase in wind power capacity by EU member states from the end of 2010 to 2020 (according to the EWEA):
- Austria: x 3.5 (10%)
- Belgium: x 4.3 (10%)
- Bulgaria: x 8 (18%)
- Cyprus: x 3.6 (12%)
- Czech Republic: x 7.4 (4%)
- Demark: x 1.6 (38%)
- Estonia: x 3.4 (11%)
- Finland: x 9.6 (5%)
- France: x 4 (11%)
- Germany: x 1.8 (17%)
- Greece: x 5.4 (23%)
- Hungary: x 3 (4%)
- Ireland: x 4.2 (52%)
- Italy: x 2.7 (9%)
- Latvia: x 6.4 (5%),
- Lithuania: x 6.5 (18%)
- Luxembourg: x 7.1 (7%)
- Malta: 0 to 100 MW (8%)
- Netherlands: x 4.2 (20%)
- Poland: x 9.5 (14%)
- Portugal: x 1.9 (28%)
- Romania: x 6.5 (10%)
- Slovakia: 3 to 800 MW (5%)
- Slovenia: 0 to 500 MW (6%)
- Spain, x 1.9 (27%)
- Sweden: x 4 (15%)
- United Kingdom: x 5 (19%)
- EU-27: x 2.7 (16%)
Visit the EWEA website to see the whole report.