26 November 2019
Our energy, our future
Overview
Offshore wind energy is at the core of how Europe can go carbon-neutral. The European Commission has big goals for offshore wind: between 230 and 450 GW by 2050. Reaching 450 GW is part of a Commission scenario to deliver climate neutrality by 2050. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), offshore wind could become the number one source of power generation in Europe by 2042. Scaling up from 20 GW today to 450 GW by 2050 will require a visionary approach.
This report shows that it is feasible to deploy 450 GW offshore wind by 2050. It identifies the challenges involved on marine space, grids and supply chain and it recommends how policymakers can help tackle them.
Findings
Explore the key figures
Sub-regions used in the analysis
Population density in Europe
Breakdown by sea basin and country of 450 GW of offshore wind
Location of 380 GW of offshore wind in 2050 by percentage of total sea area (without spatial exclusions), by sub-region
Relative LCOE for offshore wind in the North Seas (without spatial exclusions)
Distribution of area per LCOE to allocate offshore wind in a scenario without and with spatial exclusion
Relative LCOE for offshore wind in the North Seas (with spatial exclusions
Installation rate required to achieve 450 GW by 2050
Offshore wind farm development stages
Grid development, leasing, consenting, financial closure and
installation rates required to achieve 450GW by 2050
Consenting and installation rates required to achieve 85 GW by 2050
for the Atlantic Ocean
Consenting and installation rates required to achieve 212 GW by 2050
for the North Sea
Consenting and installation rates required to achieve 83 GW by 2050
for the Baltic Sea
Consenting and installation rates required to achieve 70 GW by 2050
for Southern European waters
Leasing, consenting, financial closure and installation rates required
to achieve 450 GW by 2050
Additional grid development and installation rates required
to achieve 450 GW by 2050
CAPEX rates required to achieve 450 GW by 2050
Ireland distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
France distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
UK distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Belgium distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
The Netherlands distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Germany distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Denmark distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Norway distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Sweden distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Finland distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Estonia distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Latvia distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Lithuania distribution per country sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
Poland distribution per sub-region to allocate offshore wind up to 100km,
>100km and for export
2050 Vision: offshore wind power imports and exports
Maritime spatial planning and multiple uses of offshore wind farms
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