Offshore wind farm installations are set to reach record levels in 2021, kickstarting a boom in renewable energy that may not be enough to fight climate change.
The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) expects 7.5GW of offshore wind turbines to be built this year in China alone, contributing to the largest ever addition
Some 6.1GW of capacity was added in 2020, despite the COVID pandemic, slightly less than the previous annual record increase of 6.24GW in 2019.
China and Europe Lead the Offshore Wind Farm Boom
China continues to lead offshore wind farm installation, according to the GWEC. The country has added at least 3GW of offshore wind farm capacity in each of the last three years.
Europe followed in China’s footsteps in 2020, with the Netherlands installing nearly 1.5GW and Belgium 706MW of new offshore wind capacity.
At the end of 2020 there was an estimated 35GW of offshore wind capacity globally. Offshore wind helps avoid 62.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to the emissions of 20 million cars.
Untapped Wind Capacity Exploitation Must Improve
The GWEC’s flagship publication, the Global Offshore Wind Report 2021, expects a total of 235GW of offshore wind capacity to be added in the next decade under current policies across the globe. Such construction levels would lead offshore wind production to be seven times larger than at present.
But the report warns that 235GW represents just 11% of the capacity required to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, in the fight to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as per the Paris Agreement.
The report found that the world has only built 2% of the required offshore wind capacity needed by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. It calls for “a step change in political action” to streamline planning and reduce red tape.
The International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA, says the world will need 2,000GW of offshore wind generation to keep global temperatures 1.5C (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Wind Power a Leaf in a Hurricane?
Wind power is currently a small but essential element in the global energy context. In 2019, oil provided 32.8% of the world’s power, natural gas 24.7%, and coal 27.2%. Renewables, including hydropower, brought 11.2% to the table.
Current global government plans would lead to 560GW offshore wind capacity by 2050. The GWEC thinks there are 71,000GW of techincal untapped offshore wind potential globally — a game-changing total.
Can Larger Offshore Wind Farms Solve the Issue?
Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, 80 miles from the Yorkshire coast in England, will be the world’s largest once completed. The three-stage project by SSE and Norwegian energy giant Equinor will see three separate 1.2GW wind farms built.
Each site will house the world’s largest wind turbines, generating enough renewable electricity to power between 4.5m-6m homes. Dogger Bank will come online in 2025-26.
Even Greater Growth Is Needed Urgently
Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC, said: “The offshore wind industry continues to break records, reduce prices, and innovate to new heights and depths while creating significant industrial and socioeconomic benefits for countries capturing its potential.
“But as the G20 recognized at its most recent summit, we are in a climate emergency, and we can no longer be content with simply breaking records. The scale of growth we need to achieve for the future of our planet goes beyond anything we have seen before.”
Governments and industries are doing better each year with offshore wind farm investment and construction. They urgently need to find a way to match offshore wind power’s vast and untapped potential with investment to decarbonize electricity as quickly as possible.
There is a chance soon. The UN Climate Change Conference, also known as CO26, takes place in Glasgow, UK, from October 31 to November 21.
Opinion writer: Tom Shearman
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