Investing in the future of wind energy
European countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Denmark and Norway have been intensively developing their offshore wind farms for years. Great Britain, one of the leaders in this field, has offshore wind turbines with a capacity of around 14.7 GW. According to data from the EMBER organization, in Belgium and Denmark, energy from offshore wind farms is the cheapest form of increasing production capacity.
The implementation of such a large project requires not only huge financial investments, but also close international cooperation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and representatives of other involved countries, signing the “Ostend Declaration”, committed to joint actions. To achieve the goal of 300 GW of capacity by 2050, the European Union estimates that investments of around 800 billion euros will be needed.
As Sven Utermöhlen from RWE emphasized, one of the biggest challenges for the implementation of this project is the expansion of infrastructure. A key aspect here is the expansion of transmission networks, enabling efficient energy transport. In order to meet these requirements, investments worth EUR 30 billion are involved in the projects.
Safety and a green future
In the context of growing geopolitical tensions and the need to reduce dependence on Russian gas, increasing the capacity of offshore wind farms is becoming a security issue. Renewable energy not only protects the environment, but is also becoming a strategic element ensuring energy security in Europe. Importantly, it is an action that allows for a radical reduction in the use of fossil fuels that emit CO2.