WindEurope’s Autumn Wind Energy Data reveals that Europe installed 6.4 GW of new wind energy capacity in the first half of 2024, including 5.3 GW onshore and 1.1 GW offshore. The EU-27 contributed 5.7 GW of this total, with Germany leading at 1.7 GW, followed by France at 1.2 GW and Spain at 876 MW.

Despite the strong growth in turbine orders and auction volumes, grid bottlenecks are causing project delays, and attracting significant new investments remains challenging. Improvements are needed in auction design, while permitting processes are advancing, albeit unevenly. Ports also require further investment to support the sector’s expansion, WindEurope says.

Europe now has 278 GW of wind power capacity. 242 GW of this is onshore and 35 GW offshore. The EU-27 now has 225 GW of wind: 205 GW onshore and 20 GW offshore.

Wind turbine orders 

Data reveal that wind turbine orders are up on last year: by 11% on H1 2023 for all of Europe and by 33% for the EU. And current auction volumes are strong: EU Governments awarded 19.7 GW of new wind capacity in their auctions in H1, twice as much as in H1 2023. The permitting numbers are also encouraging, notably the 5 GW new onshore permits Germany awarded in H1.

But investment decisions to build new wind farms are down on last year, WindEurope says. Europe took €15.4bn of final investment decisions (FIDs) in new wind farms in H1 2024. This is less than 30% of the total FIDs taken in 2023. There are four offshore FIDs so far this year. The new installations in H1 2024 are slightly less than expected, and less than half of what was built in the whole of 2023. We now expect the EU to build 15 GW of new wind farms this year, compared to 16 GW in 2023.

Projections, challenges and gaps

Europe is projected to have 350 GW of wind energy capacity by 2030, with 296 GW onshore and 54 GW offshore, according to current trends and project pipelines. This falls short of the EU’s target of 425 GW, up from the current 225 GW. Europe is expected to add an average of 22 GW of new wind capacity annually between 2024 and 2030, with growth accelerating toward the decade's end.

According to WindEurope, the main challenge is the slow development and permitting of new electricity grid connections, exacerbated by constraints in grid equipment availability. While Germany is advancing with new EU permitting rules, many other countries have yet to adopt them. Additionally, high interest rates and input costs, coupled with uncertain future wholesale power prices, are making it difficult to secure final investment decisions, particularly for large offshore projects.

“Europe isn’t building enough new wind farms to meet its 2030 energy targets. The numbers will rise in the next 6 years but not by enough. Governments need to act urgently to apply the EU permitting rules and ensure the grids connections are ready on time. They need to help improve the business case for those looking to build new wind farms. And ensure the ports and other logistics are fit for purpose. They must also ramp up their support for the electrification of heating, transport and industry.” says Giles Dickson CEO of WindEurope.