Wind power dwarfs other EU renewables

According to a report from information service ENDS Europe, by the end of the decade, installed wind capacity will be greater than the combined capacity of solar power and hydropower, the latter being the current leading renewable energy source. The UK alone plans a tenfold increase from 1,390 megawatts MW to almost 13,000 MW by 2020, thanks largely to a massive investment in offshore windfarms. However, the report states that significant funding still has to be found for the UK's planned offshore explosion.

The European Wind Energy Association announced that wind is set for a bumper year in 2010, despite the depressed global economic climate.

Within Europe, Germany will remain at the forefront of the renewable energy drive. The country expects to have a generation capacity of 100,000 gigawatt-hours GWh by 2020. The UK is aiming for a fivefold increase to 78,000 GWh by 2020. Of the 13 countries, Austria, Sweden and Denmark will have the largest shares of green electricity in their final energy mix by 2020, with 70.6, 62.9 and 51.9, respectively. The UK's share of renewable energy is expected to grow from 9 to 30.

"Wind power will dwarf all other renewable energy technologies in Europe, with more estimated installed capacity by 2020 than hydropower and solar put together," the report stated. "This is a remarkable development: hydroelectric power generation in the 13 countries analysed is currently nearly 70 higher than wind power. By 2020, with an estimated generation of more than 100,000 gigawatt hours, Germany will confirm its lead ahead of Spain and the UK, both at about 78,000 GWh. The UK plans to grow its generation more than fivefold from current levels."

The report stated that the Netherlands and Poland have "very ambitious growth plans" in terms of electricity generation capacity and pointed out that Denmark's early lead in the renewable sector is going to be superseded by more rapid growth in other countries within the next decade. Within Europe, Ireland, the UK and, to a lesser extent, Spain are singled out for having plans to use wave and tidal energy to boost renewables. Marine energy in the UK will begin coming online in 2016 and reach 1,300 MW by 2020.

Despite a move to cut subsidies, Germany remains the 'clear leader' for solar power in Europe, while subsidy cuts in Italy and Spain have slowed but not stopped the rollout of new solar projects. Across the 13 countries analyzed, solar power will quadruple by 2020, growing faster than any other technology. On the other hand, hydropower, which is currently the largest source of renewable energy in the 13 countries, will experience very modest growth this decade. By 2020 it will be second to wind. Today, Spain, Sweden and Italy each represent almost one-quarter of the total hydropower capacity in the group.

Biomass is the most evenly distributed renewables source, according to ENDS Europe. Germany is the current leader and will remain so by 2020 if the country reaches its target of generating nearly 43,000 GWh in 2020.

The ENDS Europe report stated that while there is a great number of renewable energy projects planned, getting them built could prove difficult in the current climate.

"The action plans paint a rosy picture of future national efforts on renewable energy, with most countries expecting to meet their targets," the report stated. "But at the moment these are just figures in spreadsheets. Implementing the plans over the coming years will be a tough test for member states. Italy, Malta, Belgium, Denmark and Luxembourg predict to have deficits in 2020, which means they will need help from other countries to meet their targets. Developing renewable energy projects is a tricky business. The two largest obstacles are financing and planning permissions, which have been an endemic problem in France. The country wants to increase its wind power installed capacity to 25,000 MW by 2020 but may find it difficult to do so due to public opposition."