China does not hold back from surprising the world. While we and you were apprehensive for the efficiency and health of yourself and your loved ones in the lockdown fearing Covid, China’s energy sector was being revolutionized. In fact, China alone saw the world’s total offshore wind power or off-shore in the year 2020. Wind Energy, half the capacity, and it is not as if China suddenly did. For the third consecutive year, China has led the world in terms of off-shore wind energy capacity installation.
This is revealed by the latest data released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) market intelligence. According to these, the global offshore wind industry saw its second best year in 2020 despite the impacts of Kovid-19 and installed a new capacity of 6 GW. This growth was led by China for the third consecutive year, and it installed more than half of the new offshore wind capacity globally last year.
The steady growth in Europe is credited for contributing to the rest of the capacity. In Europe, the Netherlands installed about 1.5 GW of new offshore wind in 2020, making it the second largest market for new capacity in 2020 after China.
Other European offshore wind markets also experienced regular growth last year, with Belgium (706 MW), UK (483 MW), and Germany (237 MW), all installing new capacity in 2020.
Last year, the only new floating offshore wind capacity was installed in Europe. It tied Sehra to a capacity of 17 MW in Portugal.
Two other countries outside China and Europe that recorded new offshore wind capacity in 2020 were South Korea (60 MW) and the US (12 MW).
Overall, global offshore wind capacity now exceeds 35 GW – a 106 percent increase over the past 5 years. China has now overtaken Germany in terms of cumulative installations, becoming the second largest offshore wind globally with the UK remaining in the top position.
Feng Zhao, Head of Market Intelligence and Strategy at GWEC on the entire development, says, “The continued growth of the offshore wind industry worldwide during the epidemic is evidence of the resilience of this rapidly growing industry. Although China was the first to face the Kovid-19 crisis, the impact on the offshore airspace remained minimal until normal operations resumed by March 2020. China’s record-breaking growth is expected to continue in 2021, as China is under pressure to meet its feed-in-tariff deadline by the end of this year. “
He also stated that, “While Europe remains the largest offshore wind market globally, Asia Pacific will play an increasingly important industry development role as major economies such as Japan and South Korea have recently established ambitious offshore wind targets . America will also become an increasingly important market for offshore wind, as the new administration has made it clear that they are working to accelerate the growth of this important industry. “
In this series, Alastair Dutton, Chair of the Global Offshore Wind Task Force at GWEC, stated, “Offshore wind is strengthening its role as one of the most important technologies to disintegrate our energy system and achieve net zero is. The current global offshore wind capacity has helped our society avoid 62.5 million tons of carbon emissions – the equivalent of removing more than 20 million cars from the road. The socioeconomic benefits of offshore wind are more important than ever as countries are developing their strategies for green (green) economic recovery, with current offshore wind capacity already providing nearly 700,000 jobs globally over the lifetime of the projects She does. “
He also stated that, “Yet, when it comes to the huge potential of offshore wind, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. The World Bank Group reports that with the current technology, there is a need for offshore wind capacity globally.” Exceeding 71,000 GW, and exploitation of this resource will be critical to sustain global warming below 1.5 ° C pre-industrial levels, generating significant economic benefits. To experience this potential, the growth of industry Cooperation of industry and government with stable policies will be crucial to provide a long-term horizon for the country. Accelerating the commercialization of floating offshore wind in this decade to open up new opportunities for the region and also to capture unimaginable possible wind resources. Will be important. “
Overall, this news coming from China is very pleasant for the climate.
New offshore wind capacity in 2020
- China – 3,060 MW
- Netherlands – 1,493 MW
- Belgium – 703 MW
- UK – 483 MW
- Germany – 237 MW
- South Korea – 60 MW
- Portugal – 17 MW (floating)
- America-12MW
Top 5 Offshore Wind Markets for Cumulative Capacity
- UK – 10,206 MW
- China – 9,898 MW
- Germany – 7,730 MW
- Netherlands – 2,611 MW
- Belgium – 2,259 MW