UPDATE 1-EU wind power grows steadily, renewables at record
6 February 2012
(c) 2012 Reuters Limited
* 2030 EU target needed to send strong investment signal -EWEA
* Fuel oil, nuclear sector shrank
* Slight decline in offshore wind
(Adds more figures, quotes)
By Barbara Lewis
BRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - EU wind power grew fractionally less while the number of coal plants rose for a second year, yet renewable generation overall still managed a record increase to account for more than 70 percent of new capacity in 2011, data showed on Monday.
The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), which released the figures, said renewable sources were bucking the economic crisis. The growth in coal, however, underlined the urgent need to tighten EU green energy policy, it said.
In 2011, 9,616 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity were installed in the EU worth some 12.6 billion euros ($16.5 billion), a touch lower than 9,648 MW in 2010.
Overall renewable capacity accounted for 71.3 percent of all new installations last year, following a 37.7 percent year on year increase.
Since 2008, renewable energy has represented more than half of all new capacity in the 27-member European Union.
"The wind industry is still installing solid levels of new capacity," Justin Wilkes, policy director of EWEA said in a statement. "But to achieve the EU's long-term targets, we need strong growth again in future years."
A binding EU renewable energy target for 2030 would "send a very positive signal to potential investors", he added.
The European Union has a set of 2020 goals, including raising the renewable share of all energy use, not just power, to 20 percent and reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent.
Although on track to meet those targets, the EU is struggling to build consensus on setting new policy aims, as the political focus is fixed on the region's economic difficulties and member states are wary of taking on environmental ambitions associated with short-term costs.
In the wind sector, overall growth was stable, but the more costly offshore segment decreased by 1.9 percent.
BLOWING ACROSS EUROPE
Wind power generation is increasingly used across Europe. In 2000, annual wind power installations in the three pioneering nations - Denmark, Germany and Spain - represented 85 percent of all EU wind capacity. In 2011, their share decreased to 34 percent.
Total wind capacity installed by the end of 2011 would in a typical year produce 204 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity, representing around 6 percent of gross EU consumption.
Wind's share of installed capacity reached 10.5 percent.
Renewable capacity increased its market share to about 31 percent - after a record rise that drove unprecedented growth in the EU's ability to generate power.
The EU's total generation capacity from all sources rose to 895,878 MW, up by 35,468 MW from 2010.
Of the new EU installations, coal rose by 4.8 percent. In 2011 as in 2010, the sector installed more capacity (2,147 MW last year) than it decommissioned (840 MW).
Use of fuel oil and nuclear power declined. Last year 6.3 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity were decommissioned and more than 1 GW of fuel oil power-generating capacity was taken offline.
($1 = 0.7621 euros)
(Reporting by Barbara Lewis; editing by Rex Merrifield)
EU-WIND/ (UPDATE 1)
Reuters Limited