Wind farm developers installed more power than any other form of energy last year in Europe, helping turbines to overtake coal in terms of capacity, industry figures show. <\/p>\n
European wind power grew 8 percent, to 153.7 gigawatts, comprising 16.7 percent of installed capacity and overtaking coal as the continents second-biggest potential source of energy, according to figures published Thursday by the WindEurope trade group. Gas-fired generation retained the largest share of installed capacity. <\/p>\n
With countries seeking to curb greenhouse gas emissions that causes climate change by replacing fossil fuel plants with new forms of renewable energy, investment in wind grew to a record 27.5 billion euros ($29.3 billion) in 2016, WindEuropes annual European Statistics report showed. <\/p>\n
Wind and coal are on two ends of the spectrum,said Oliver Joy, a spokesman for WindEurope, in an e-mail. Wind is steadily adding new capacity while coal is decommissioning far more than any technology in Europe. <\/p>\n
The group underscored that wind, which only produces power intermittently, hasnt yet overtaken coal share in total power generation. <\/p>\n
European wind investment increased 5 percent in 2016 from a year earlier driven by the offshore segment that attracted 18.2 billion euros, the report said. That offset a 29 percent investment decline in the onshore market. <\/p>\n
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Wind Overtakes Coal Power in Europe as Turbines Head Offshore - Bloomberg<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wind farm developers installed more power than any other form of energy last year in Europe, helping turbines to overtake coal in terms of capacity, industry figures show. Continue reading