Energy

Aeolic production in Europe

During 2010 in EU27 181.7 TWh of electricity have been produced by aeolic means, of which 171.1 TWh thanks to onshore wind farms and 10.6 TWh from offshore wind farm. 5.3% of the total consumption of electricity in Europe in 2010 (compared to 2% in 2002) was produced through wind power with about 71,620 turbines. The field is monitored, in Europe, by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), a non-profit NGO established in 1982, counting up to 15,000 members among which the main firms in aeolic plants making, and the most influential research institutes: it is the biggest sustainable resources association in the world. From 1996 to 2010 aeolic power installed in Europe has grown at a yearly rate of 97%, passing from 6.1 GW in 1996 to 198GW in 2010. Despite this, there are still many disparities among different countries: Germany (27%), Spain (25%) Great Britain (8%) France (6.5%) and Italy (6.4%) sustain by themselves 72.9% of the entire European production.
A significant contribution
The EU Directive (2009/28/CE) establishes that 20% of total EU energy production has to come from renewable sources by 2020, indicating some common guidelines to reach this goal as well. In 2009 sustainable sources have produced about 13% of the total amount of energy consumed in the world, with hydroelectric and solid biofuels having the biggest share (thanks to poorest countries' contribution, where use of solid fuels for heating, cooking and illumination purposes is widespread). In 2010 production of aeolic energy worldwide has covered about 2-2.5% of the total amount of energy consumed: it may look a very modest share, however the production of aeolic energy is expanding fast, playing a fundamental role in the delicate and difficult passage to an ever smaller reliance on fossil fuels. The aeolic field is indeed the one, amongst all renewable sources, which is recording the biggest annual increases, with a growth higher than 7% a year between 1996 and 2010, and an even larger increase (38%) between 2006 and 2010. (Source: ewea.org)