33 percent more wind turbines were installed in 2022 than in the previous year.
In 2022, 15 gigawatts (GW) of new wind turbines were installed in the EU – a third more than in the previous year. This is shown by figures from the Wind Europe industry association. The result is encouraging, the statement said, given many challenges such as inflation and shortages of materials as well as components that have hit turbine manufacturers and suppliers hard.
In terms of development, Germany, Sweden and Finland were in the lead, followed by Spain and France. 90 percent of new wind capacity was accounted for by onshore wind farms. There has been progress in the approval procedures, but they still need to be simplified further, the industry association demands. Across Europe, 80 GW of wind energy projects are currently stuck in the approval process. In order to become an attractive location for renewable energies again, the EU would also have to facilitate investments along the entire supply chain, says Wind Europe CEO Giles Dickson, for example for factories, skilled workers, raw materials and ships.
Photo: iStock/BulentBARIS
