According to the most recent data from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 6.1 GW of offshore wind capacity was added to the mix in 2019, a record year for the industry and an impressive 35.5 percent increase over the previous year, during which 4.5 GW of capacity were installed. The total installed capacity for offshore wind stands at 29 GW.
GWEC says its preliminary forecasts show that as much as 50 GW of offshore wind capacity could be installed globally by 2024, which would bring the total installed capacity at almost 90 GW, an increase of more than 200 percent from today.
Europe remained the largest market for offshore wind, accounting for 59 percent of new installations in 2019, while the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the remaining 41 percent.
China remains the overall leader in new installations for offshore wind, adding more than 2.3 GW capacity in 2019, with the UK and Germany in second and third place, installing 1.8 GW and 1.1 GW respectively.
In all, eight markets reported new offshore wind installations in 2019:
China – 2395 MW
United Kingdom – 1764 MW
Germany – 1111 MW
Denmark – 374 MW
Belgium – 370 MW
Taiwan – 120 MW
Portugal – 8 MW (floating)
Japan – 3 MW (floating)
Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC said that offshore wind now makes up 10 percent of total wind energy installations.
“While mature markets in Europe continue to account for the majority of these installations, Asia Pacific is now increasingly contributing to this growth, with China leading the way as the global offshore wind leader in new capacity,” he said.
“It is also exciting to see floating wind capacity being installed in 2019, as once this technology reaches industrial scale, it will open up whole new markets and opportunities for offshore wind,” he added.
