Powering Europe - European Wind Energy Association

Europe has a particular competitive advantage in wind
power technology. Wind energy is not only able to contribute
to securing European energy independence
and climate goals in the future, it could also turn a
serious energy supply problem into an opportunity for
Europe in the form of commercial benefits, technology
research, exports and employment.
The fact that the wind power source is free and clean
is economically and environmentally significant, but
just as crucial is the fact that the cost of electricity
from the wind is fixed once the wind farm has been
built. This means that the economic future of Europe
can be planned on the basis of known, predictable
electricity costs derived from an indigenous energy
source free of the security, political, economic and environmental
disadvantages associated with conventional
technologies.
2.1 Wind power and European
electricity
Due to its ageing infrastructure and constant demand
growth, massive investment in generation plant and
grids are required. Over the next 12 years, 360 GW of
new electricity capacity – 50% of current EU electricity
generating capacity – needs to be built to replace
ageing power plants to meet the expected increase
in demand 3 . Since energy investments are long-term
investments, today’s decisions will influence the energy
mix for the next decades. The vision presented
in this document shows that wind power meets all the
requirements of current EU energy policy and simultaneously
offers a way forward in an era of higher fuel
and carbon prices.
Wind energy technology has made major progress
since the industry started taking off in the early 1980s.
chApTEr 1 INtrODUctION:aeUrOpeaNVISION
Thirty years of technological development means that
today’s wind turbines are a state-of-the-art modern
technology: modular and quick to install. At a given
site, a single modern wind turbine annually produces
200 times more electricity and at less than half the
cost per kWh than its equivalent twenty five years ago.
The wind power sector includes some of the world’s
largest energy companies. Modern wind farms deliver
grid support services – for example voltage regulation
– like other power plants do. Effective regulatory and
policy frameworks have been developed and implemented,
and Europe continues to be the world leader
in wind energy.
Wind currently provides more than 5% of Europe’s
electricity 4 , but as the cheapest of the renewable electricity
technologies, onshore wind will be the largest
contributor to meeting the 34% share of renewable
electricity needed by 2020 in the EU, as envisaged by
the EU’s 2009/28 Renewable Energy Directive.
EWEA’s “Baseline” scenario for 2020 requires installed
capacity to increase from 80 GW today to 230
GW in 2020. Wind energy production would increase
from 163 TWh (2009) to 580 TWh (2020) and wind energy’s
share of total electricity demand would increase
from 4.2% in 2009 to 14.2% in 2020. EWEA’s ”High”
scenario requires installed capacity to increase from
80 GW today to 265 GW in 2020. Wind energy production
would increase from 163 TWh (2009) to 681
TWh (2020) and wind energy’s share of total electricity
demand would increase from 4.2% in 2009 to 16.7%
in 2020.
On 7 October 2009, the European Commission published
its Communication on “Investing in the Development
of Low Carbon Technologies 5 (SET-Plan)”stating
that wind power would be “capable of contributing up
to 20% of EU electricity by 2020 and as much as 33%
by 2030” were the industry’s needs fully met. EWEA
agrees with the Commission’s assessment. With
3 European commission communication ‘Second Strategic Energy review: An EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action plan’
(SEc(2008) 2871).
4 http://www.ewea.org/index.php?id=1665
5 European commission (cOM(2009) 519 final).
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