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Europe's onshore and offshore wind energy potential
EEA Technical report No 6/2009
Released: 2009/06/08: See the report
Abstract
This report provides a Europe-wide resource assessment of onshore and offshore wind potential in a geographically explicit manner. In addition to calculating raw wind resource potential, this study also introduces and quantitatively analyses the environmental and social constraints on wind sector development. Concerns addressed include the noise and visual impact of wind power, as well as the deaths of birds and bats that fly into rotor blades. The report also evaluates the future costs of wind energy production across Europe in order to gauge the potential output at competitive rates.
Prepared by: This report was prepared by the European Environment Agency's European Topic Centre for Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC). Hans Eerens provided the coordinating input from the ETC/ACC. Contributors from the ETC/ACC are: Chris Coppens, Hugo Gordijn, Maarten Piek, Paul Ruyssenaars, Joost-jan Schrander, Peter de Smet and Rob Swart (PBL); Jan Horalek, Pavel Kurfürst (CHMI); Michael Harfoot (AEA-T).
EEA project manager: Ayla Uslu
Publish date: 8 June 2009
Published by: (c) EEA (European Environment Agency)
This report is the result of the initial ETC/ACC Technical Paper 2008/6, "Wind-energy potential in Europe 2020-2030", released in November 2009.