Onshore wind projects are projected to make up 77% of all new wind power capacity planned across Europe by 2030, according to a report on Sunday.
Data compiled by Anadolu Agency (AA) ahead of Global Wind Day showed that wind energy has become one of the most effective renewable energy sources in the fight against climate change in recent years.
Among renewable energy technologies, onshore wind stands out as one of the most mature, economical, and widely implemented solutions.
Thanks to its ability to generate clean electricity, low carbon footprint, and potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, onshore wind offers significant advantages in combating climate change.
According to data from WindEurope, the umbrella organization of Europe's wind energy industry, electricity generation from renewable energy sources in Europe is expected to increase by 60% by 2030.
"Europe is expected to install 151 gigawatts (GW) of new wind power capacity between 2026 and 2030," WindEurope said.
Onshore wind is expected to make up the overwhelming majority of installations over the period up to 2030, it added.
"We expect a total of 117 GW of onshore wind capacity additions in Europe over the period 2026-2030 – 77% of all additions expected during this period."
According to WindEurope, of the total installations, 112 GW is projected to be installed across the 27 member states of the European Union. Annual additions in the EU are estimated to average 22 GW.
Looking ahead, Europe is expected to install an average of 30 GW of new wind power capacity each year between 2026 and 2030.
As a result, Europe's total installed wind power capacity is projected to reach 439 GW by 2030, including 366 GW of onshore capacity and 73 GW of offshore capacity.
"Meanwhile, Europe's wind energy sector currently provides direct and indirect employment to approximately 443,000 people. This figure is expected to rise to 607,000 by 2030," according to WindEurope.
According to WindEurope, around 16 GW of wind power capacity is expected to be decommissioned between 2026 and 2030.
Of this total, 8 GW is planned to undergo repowering, which is expected to bring total repowered capacity to 17 GW. The remaining 8 GW will be fully decommissioned and removed from the system.
On average, repowering a wind farm triples electricity generation while reducing the number of turbines by approximately one-third.
Newly installed offshore wind turbines are significantly larger than onshore turbines, with average capacities of 10.7 MW and 5.2 MW, respectively.
In the coming years, continued technological advancements in wind energy are expected to increase these averages and significantly improve electricity generation efficiency.
