The UK has experienced massive growth in terms of offshore wind projects. Since January, the total pipeline has grown by 47 percent even amid a pandemic. From projects in the planning stage to systems that are currently operational, the total capacity is now at 197.4 gigawatts from the 134.7-gigawatt capacity last January.
Half of the total pipeline is in European countries (around 50 percent or 99.6 gigawatts). Here is a list of countries and their respective contributions to the global offshore wind projects.
- UK = 41.3 gigawatts; 12% growth
- China = 26.1 gigawatts; 80% growth
- USA = 17.8 gigawatts; 10% growth
- Brazil = 16.3 gigawatts; 100% growth
- Taiwan = 15.2 gigawatts; 65% growth
- Germany = 11.7 gigawatts; 29% decrease
- The Netherlands = 11.4 gigawatts; 58% growth
- Ireland = 9.1 gigawatts; 44% growth
- Poland = 9.1 gigawatts; 72% growth
- Vietnam = 8.6 gigawatts; 100% growth
The UK tops the current list. It will likely remain so for the upcoming years as Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the rest of the British Parliament expressed support on all offshore wind projects intending to supply every UK household by 2030.
Additionally, the growth of offshore wind projects in Asian countries is a manifestation of the transition to renewable energy dependency in Asia.