The EU-27 installation rate of wind power slowed 5.9% in 2011 with just under 9.4 GW of new capacity, compared with nearly 10 GW in 2010, with a significant slowdown in offshore wind, according to the latest EurObserv'ER Wind Power Barometer.
European installed wind power capacity now stands at 64.1 GW, which translates to about 187.2 kW per 1000 inhabitants.
Measured by wind per inhabitant, the leading countries are: Denmark (706.2 kW/1000), Spain (469.6 kW/1000) and Portugal (403.4 kW/1000).
Despite the slowdown, European wind power production met expectations, exceeding 172 TWh, up 15.5% from 2010.
EU offshore wind slows
Offshore wind installations in the EU-27 saw only 788.1 MW of new capacity, compared with over 1.1 GW in 2010. Total offshore wind capacity now stands at 3.8 GW.
Global growth driven by emerging markets
Global wind power saw additional capacity of 40.5 GW in 2011, compared to 39 GW in 2010, resulting in total installed capacity of 238.5 GW. Much of the growth was drive by capacity build-ups in emerging markets.
