Europe’s offshore wind energy industry enjoyed a record-breaking 2017, according to statistics released today.
The figures from membership body, WindEurope, show there was a 25% increase in capacity in just 12 months. The world’s first offshore floating wind farm – in Scotland – was one of 13 new offshore wind farms.
There is now 15.8GW of installed capacity across Europe, with more than 4000 offshore turbines located in 11 countries.
“A 25% increase in one year is spectacular. Offshore wind is now a mainstream part of the power system. And the costs have fallen rapidly. Investing in offshore wind today costs no more than in conventional power generation. It just shows Europe’s ready to embrace a much higher renewables target for 2030. 35% is easily achievable. Not least now that floating offshore wind farms are also coming on line,” said Giles Dickson, WindEurope CEO.