Wind and solar technology made up over half of Europe’s new electricity generating capacity in 2009, as the number of new coal and nuclear facilities fell.
Wind accounted for 39 per cent of increased European energy capacity, ahead of gas (26 per cent) and solar (16 per cent). In contrast, the nuclear and coal power sectors decommissioned more megawatts of capacity than they installed in 2009, with a total of 1,393 MW of nuclear and 3,200 MW of coal decommissioned.
'It is a remarkable result in a difficult year. The figures, once again, confirm that wind power, together with other renewable energy technologies and a shift from coal to gas, are delivering massive European carbon reductions, while creating much needed economic activity and new jobs for Europe’s citizens,' said EWEA CEO Christian Kjaer.
According to the EWEA report, €13 billion has been invested in wind farms across the EU in the last year, making them capable of meeting 4.8 per cent of EU energy demands.
Spain is the country with the biggest share of new wind capacity (24%), followed by Germany (19%), Italy (19 per cent), France (11%) and the UK (10%).
The wind energy sector has grown by an average of 23 per cent over the last 15 years, with annual installations up from 472 MW in 1994 to 10,163 MW in 2009.
Commenting on prospects for 2010, Kjaer added: “I am quite optimistic about the medium-term outlook for wind power in Europe, but project finance is still tight and it is clear that more orders must be announced in the coming months for the sector to repeat the 10 GW installed this year.”
Source: http://www.greenjobs.ie/newsletters.cms.asp
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