86% of Europe's new power plants are renewable

86 % of the newly installed power plant capacity for electricity production in Europe in 2016 is renewable: wind accounted for 51 % of the total addition, solar power for 27 %. In 2016, 10.4 % of electricity in Europe came from wind power, in Switzerland only just under 0.2 %.

An average of 12 new wind turbines went into operation every day in the EU in 2016. Thanks to the strong expansion, wind energy is now the second most important electricity production technology in the EU behind gas-fired power plants, but still ahead of coal-fired power plants. Especially in winter, wind energy plays an important role in renewable energy supply, then it complements solar and hydro power, which produce less in the winter months, as a team player.

11 countries with over 10 % wind power
The share of wind power in the electricity mix in Denmark, the EU leader, was 36.8 % in 2016, followed by Ireland with 27 % and Portugal with 24.7 %. A total of 11 countries cover more than 10 % of their electricity demand with wind energy. In addition to those mentioned above, these are Cyprus, Spain, Germany, Romania, the UK, Sweden, Lithuania and Austria.

Switzerland gains 25 % in installed capacity
The installed capacity in Switzerland also increased by 25 % thanks to the repowering of four turbines on Mont Crosin and the construction of three new turbines on Griespass, but this is starting from a very modest level: only just under 0.2 % of Switzerland's electricity demand comes from wind energy. And this is despite the fact that the potential in this country would also be great: 10 % of the electricity supply could be covered by wind power in 2050. At the end of 2016, Austria had already exceeded this target with 10.4 %. In Switzerland, this would require around 120 wind farms with 5 to 10 wind turbines. At the end of 2016, 37 wind turbines were in operation.

Report on the development of wind energy in the EU (English): "Wind in power: 2016 European statistics"
Source: Suisse Eole