Global Acceleration
EU falls behind in wind power expansion
4/12/2023 3:07 am
The EU countries are starting to expand renewable energies comparatively early. However, they could lose their lead in the future, because at least in the case of wind power, growth is now more sluggish than in a global comparison.
When it comes to expanding wind power, the EU is lagging behind in a global comparison. While global growth last year was 17 percent compared to the previous year, it was only 9 percent in EU countries, according to an analysis by think tank Ember.
Overall, however, the EU is ahead in a global comparison when it comes to electricity production from renewable energies: 22 percent of the electricity in the EU countries came from wind or solar power in 2022 (2015: 13 percent). Globally, the share was 12 percent – more than ever before (2015: 5 percent). According to the report, 32 percent of electricity in Germany came from solar and wind power.
“The EU started the renewable energy race early, but given the pace of global acceleration, it cannot afford to be complacent,” said Ember Europe chief Sarah Brown. In particular, the obstacles that prevent the rapid expansion of onshore wind energy must be removed. In Germany, for example, a wind turbine has to be approved, after which there is an invitation to tender, and then construction. According to the German Wind Energy Association, it takes an average of 20 months after approval, in the best-case scenario, for a new wind turbine to be connected to the grid.
According to the report, solar power is the fastest-growing source of energy – global expansion was 24 percent last year. In the EU, too, it went up by 24 percent. For comparison: According to the experts, the United States grew wind power by 15 percent last year and solar power by 25 percent. For the analysis, the experts looked at data from 78 countries, which account for 93 percent of global electricity consumption.