Wind accounted for 44% of all new power installations across the 28 EU Member States in 2015, connecting a total of 12.8 GW to the grid – 9.766 MW in onshore and 3.034 MW offshore, according to a statement from the European Wind Energy Agency (EWEA).

The volume of new installations was up 6.3% on 2014, bringing total wind capacity in Europe to 142 GW, covering 11.4% of Europe’s electricity needs. More generally, renewables accounted for 77% of new power plant installations in 2015, or 22.3 GW of a total 29 GW installed.

Commenting on the 2015 results, EWEA CEO Giles Dickson said the numbers show that wind is the driving force behind the EU’s energy transition. “Wind energy is a mature industry. It makes economic sense and is contributing significantly to Europe’s energy security and competitiveness goals,” he said.

Investment in new onshore and offshore wind farms reached EUR 26.4 billion, a 40% increase on 2014, with both onshore and offshore attracting record levels of capital. Almost half the new wind installations in 2015 were in Germany. Poland was the second largest installer with 1.3 GW of new capacity followed by France with 1 GW.

Dickson noted that expansion in Germany was strong in 2015, but that growth was uneven geographically and had not been so strong in countries where the policy and regulation were not as effective.

For more information:
http://www.ewea.org/press-releases/detail/2016/02/09/wind-adds-13gw-new-capacity-in-2015-44-percent-of-all-new-power/