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Offshore wind industry sets record year for installations in first half of 2015

Brussels, Belgium - In the first six months of 2015, the European offshore wind industry installed more new capacity than in any other year on record as several projects reached completion and deployment of larger turbines increased.

Installations in the first half of 2015 touched 2,342.9MW - tripling the grid-connected capacity for the same period last year. As a result, total installed offshore wind capacity in Europe hit 10,393.6MW in 82 wind farms across 11 countries.

With 584 wind turbines fully grid connected in the first half of 2015, the average machine size rose to 4.2MW from 3.5MW a year earlier as manufacturers continue to develop larger models with higher energy capture.

Kristian Ruby, Chief Policy Officer at the European Wind Energy Association, said: "It has taken the offshore wind industry just six months to set the best year the sector has ever seen in terms of installed capacity. While this clearly shows a commitment to offshore wind development in Europe, a number of completed projects, explosive growth in Germany and the use of higher capacity wind turbines are major contributors to these numbers."

"To ensure healthy growth in the coming years, and to guarantee offshore wind energy plays its role in meeting the EU's competitiveness, security and decarbonisation objectives, the industry needs long-term visibility



Source: IWR Online, 30 Jul 2015

 


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