Offshore Wind: Staying Ahead of the Curve

Papalexandrou, Marios

An important part of the Energy Union strategy is guaranteeing affordable, secure, competitive and sustainable energy for all Europeans. Europe is already a global leader in fighting climate change and promoting renewable energy with a renewable energy target set for at least 32% of final energy consumption in the EU for 2030. This chapter examines how the EU managed to transform the offshore wind industry from a few demonstration projects two decades ago to a mainstream generation technology today, supporting the Energy Union strategy. The analysis discusses offshore wind technology developments and trends from past to recent and future projects. It also provides best practices incorporated from countries leading offshore wind expansion in Europe. Finally, it highlights Europe’s offshore wind potential and discusses future challenges allowing Europe to stay ahead of the curve in research and implementation of future offshore wind developments.