European offshore wind capacity rose 18% last year, according to new statistics from WindEurope.
Germany and the UK generated 85% of the new capacity, during a year which saw 15 offshore wind farms go online.
“Offshore wind continues to grow strongly in Europe. The total capacity expanded by a further 18% last year. Offshore wind now represents 2% of all the electricity consumed in Europe. And with a big pipeline of projects under construction and development, this number will rise significantly,” said Giles Dickson, WindEurope CEO. “The technology keeps developing. The turbines keep getting bigger. And the costs keep falling. It’s now no more expensive to build offshore wind than it is to build coal or gas plants. And it’s a good deal cheaper than new nuclear.”
