History of Europe’s wind industry · WindEurope

History of Europe’s wind industry

1984

European Wind Energy Association logo, 1984

European Wind Energy Association logo, 1984

1991

Built in 1991, Vindeby in Denmark was the world’s first offshore wind farm

Built in 1991, Vindeby in Denmark was the world’s first offshore wind farm

1992

United Nations Conference on Environment

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (“Earth Summit”) in Rio de Janeiro establishes global principles for sustainable development and environmental protection

1993

Blades about to be put on an Enercon E40 wind turbine in 1993

Blades about to be put on an Enercon E40 wind turbine in 1993

1995

Construction of foundations for an offshore wind farm in Denmark, 1995

Construction of foundations for an offshore wind farm in Denmark, 1995

2000

Middelgrunden wind farm

Middelgrunden wind farm

2002

Alaiz wind farm in Navarra, Spain, 2002

Alaiz wind farm in Navarra, Spain, 2002

2005

Installation of a 3.75 MW Siemens turbine, 2005

Installation of a 3.75 MW Siemens turbine, 2005

2007

The world’s largest wind turbine to date, the 7 MW Enercon E-126, is installed in Emden, Germany, 2007

The world’s largest wind turbine to date, the 7 MW Enercon E-126, is installed in Emden, Germany, 2007

2009

Statoil’s Hywind floating turbine, Norway, 2009

Statoil’s Hywind floating turbine, Norway, 2009

2011

Principle Power’s WindFloat Prototype, Portugal, 2011

Principle Power’s WindFloat Prototype, Portugal, 2011

2016

Agios Georgios island

Agios Georgios island, Greece has the only onshore wind farm with offshore characteristics: submarine cables connect it to Athens’ electrical grid. Photo Marios Zangas, 2016

2017

Currently the longest wind turbine blade is 88.

Currently the longest wind turbine blade is 88.4 metres, produced for an 8 MW offshore turbine. Photo: LM Wind Power, 2017


Cumulative capacity in EU (GW)

192
WindEurope's central scenario (2015)