Wind energy is set to become Europe’s premier power source by 2027, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The IEA’s 2018 World Energy Outlook out today estimates this is the year wind energy will surpass coal, nuclear and gas.
“It’s great that the IEA now sees wind being the no. 1 source of electricity in Europe in less than ten years. That’ll mean new wind farms and modernisation of existing ones, all of which will bring jobs, growth and revenues to local communities,” said Giles Dickson, CEO at WindEurope. “But whilst it’ll be good to be no. 1 in electricity, electricity is only 24% of Europe’s energy. To decarbonise the whole energy system, we’re going have to start getting large amounts of wind and other renewables into heating, transport and industrial processes. It’s technically do-able and affordable. It just needs the right policies to drive investments in e.g. electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric boilers in district heating systems. The National Energy and Climate Plans for 2030 that EU Member States are now preparing are a great opportunity to push these policies.”
