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Wind Power Can Meet the Climate, Energy and Employment Challenge
a report by
Christian Kjaer
CEO, European Wind Energy Association
Europe is facing three challenges: fighting climate change, creating Wind and Carbon Dioxide Reduction
jobs during the recession and ensuring a sustainable supply of energy In a recent study scientists found that people alive today could live to
for its 65 million citizens. While the EU has taken some steps to address see a 4°C rise in temperatures over pre-industrial levels, which could
all three issues, notably with its targets to increase the supply of endanger the water supply of 50% of the world’s population, see up
renewable energy to 20% by 2020, these must be followed up with to half of plant and animal species become extinct, raise the
deeper commitments in the future. frequency of freak weather conditions and cause widespread
flooding of coastal areas. The study, carried out by the Met Office in
Renewable energy is a factor that unites all three of these the UK, also found that in some areas – the Arctic and western and
challenges. It mitigates climate change, creates jobs and, in southern Africa – temperatures could rise by up to a staggering 10°C.
unlocking a never-ending European-sourced energy, provides All this could happen if we fail to dramatically limit and reduce the
freedom from imported finite fossil fuels from often unstable corners quantity of carbon we emit by burning fossil fuels. We are currently
of the world. Wind energy, as Europe’s leading renewable, is key. burning carbon on a massive scale for our industry, transport
However, at present Europe is not equipped with the underlying and domestic needs. However, wind power provides a green,
infrastructure it needs to tackle the problem. Europe’s electricity never-ending power supply. Wind is one of the world’s most
supply structure is fragmented along national boundaries, around abundant energy resources, does not emit harmful greenhouse gases
42% of current EU electricity capacity is ageing and needs to be and can be deployed on a wide scale. Moreover, wind can be
replaced to meet increasing demand and the power system still deployed relatively rapidly and start reducing carbon emissions with
needs to be supported by a functioning internal EU market in immediate effect. In Europe, wind power is already helping to fight
electricity. Under current EU rules, namely the European Renewable climate change: over the course of 2009, wind saved the emission of
Energy Directive, the share of green energy should rise from 8.6% in over 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO
2
), and by 2012 wind
2005 to 20% in 2020. However, by 2007 the share of renewable will save the emission of 146 million tonnes of CO
2
per year, rising to
energy had reached 9.9%; if this track record continues, the EU will 333 million tonnes by 2020. While most of the world was
reach 18.35% renewable energy by 2020. Although this level is disappointed at the lack of ambition evident in the final Copenhagen
among the most ambitious for increasing green energy in the Accord reached at the UN climate summit in December 2009, wind
world, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) has even power clearly continues to make significant dents into the amount of
more ambitious long-term goals: wind energy alone could meet CO
2
emitted into the atmosphere.
one-fifth of the EU’s electricity demand by 2020, one-third by 2030
and half by 2050. Wind and Energy Security
Simply put, wind power requires no fuel. When wind energy is
Wind Power Works produced it saves large amounts of the costs involved in buying and
Wind power increased its share of total EU electricity production importing expensive fossil fuels. At the same time, wind power
capacity by 300% from 2000 to 2008. Over the same period, the EU’s reduces the rate of depletion of Europe’s meagre remaining fossil fuel
total installed power capacity increased by 225GW. Meanwhile, the reserves. EWEA’s calculations show that in 2008 wind energy avoided
proportion of total EU power capacity provided by natural gas €6.5 billion of fuel costs. This breaks down to €3.3 billion of gas
increased by 50%, that provided by coal remained unchanged, while costs, €2.1 billion of coal costs, €0.8 billion of oil costs and €0.04
oil went down by 5%, large hydro by 3% and nuclear by 6%. billion of biomass/waste costs. However, according to EWEA’s latest
However, wind’s share of all newly installed power generation capacity predictions, total energy savings will rise to €6.6 billion in 2010, €26.9
is more striking: since 2000, some 30% of all new power capacity has billion in 2020 and €32.8 billion in 2030. EWEA’s targets also reveal
been in wind power. 2008 was the first year in which more new wind that by 2012 wind will meet 7% of total EU electricity demand, rising
energy capacity was installed than any other electricity-generating steadily to 17% in 2020. However, this could be higher: wind power
technology: 36% wind power, 29% gas and 18% solar photovoltaics could meet 20% of electricity demand by 2020, 30% by 2030 and
(PV). On a national level, Germany and Spain – along with Denmark 50% by 2050.
the pioneers of the wind industry in Europe – still lead the rest of
Europe in terms of total installed wind power capacity: 63% of the Wind and Jobs
EU’s total capacity is located in these two countries alone. Italy, Over the past five years, the European wind energy industry has
France, the UK and Denmark each now has over 3,000MW of created more than 60,000 new jobs, equal to 33 new jobs for each
wind-power-generating capacity. At the other end of the scale, newer day of the year, and the expansion in jobs is predicted to rise despite
Member States, with the exception of Poland, are among those with a the ongoing economic crisis. In EWEA’s recently published ‘Pure
lower wind power capacity. Power’ report, the latest estimates show that the wind energy sector
© TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2010
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