The European Union built a record number of new wind farms in 2023 but is still trailing its own targets for adding the renewable resource to its energy mix to reach its climate ambitions and cut reliance on Russian gas.
The bloc added some 17 gigawatts of new wind farms last year, according to industry group Wind Europe.
While that’s up more than 7% from 2022, it lags the 30 gigawatts per year pace the group estimates are needed to reach the EU’s climate and energy security goals for this decade.
Wind has struggled in recent years despite the continent’s need to boost the technology.
While solar power soared as consumers used cheap panels to combat rising electricity bills, Europe’s wind industry has been relatively left behind. Turbine makers have lost money and some developers canceled or delayed projects as costs soared.
A turnaround for the sector will be crucial for Europe to cut fossil fuel use. Peak power demand in the region comes during the winter, when the sunshine is weakest.
That will become only more important as a growing share of cars and home heating run on electricity.
Earlier this week, the International Energy Agency cut its forecast for wind power growth in Europe because of bureaucratic delays and limitations of the existing electric grids.
Analysts at BloombergNEF predict wind deployment will dip until 2026 before accelerating in the latter part of the decade.
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