Wind farm developers installed more power than any other form of energy in Europe last year, helping turbines to overtake coal in terms of capacity, industry figures show.
European wind power grew 8% to 153.7 GW, comprising 16.7% of installed capacity and overtaking coal as the continent’s second-biggest potential source of energy, according to figures published by the WindEurope trade group. Gas-fired generation retained the largest share of installed capacity.
With countries seeking to curb greenhouse-gas emissions that cause climate change by replacing fossil fuel plants with new forms of renewable energy, investment in wind grew to a record $29.3-billion in 2016, WindEurope’s annual European Statistics report showed.
“Wind and coal are on two ends of the spectrum,” said Oliver Joy, a spokesperson for WindEurope. “Wind is steadily adding new capacity, while coal is decommissioning far more than any technology in Europe.” The group underscored that wind, which only produces power intermittently, has not yet overtaken coal share in total power generation.