A new Danish-based initiative called the Global Offshore Wind Alliance is seeking to drive a seven fold increase in installed global offshore wind capacity to 380GW – from 57GW – by 2030.
The new alliance between the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and the government of Denmark aims to reach forecasts published by IRENA and the International Energy Agency (IEA) that predict 2,000GW of offshore wind capacity will be needed by the middle of the century.
“A massive increase in energy from offshore wind is key to fight climate change, phase out fossil fuels and strengthen energy security,” said Dan Jørgensen, the Danish minister for climate, energy, and utilities.
“We cannot do it alone but must work together across the public and private sectors as well as across countries and regions.”
Denmark was the home to the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991, and while the sector has grown by 300 per cent over the past five years, it is still well short of the growth track necessary.
The Alliance aims to spur annual development of 35GW on average across the remainder of the decade and on to a minimum of 70GW annually from 2030, culminating at the forecast 2,000GW by 2050.
“There couldn’t be a more crucial time for this Alliance,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council. “Dependence on volatile fossil fuels has created energy security and cost of living crises while driving runaway global heating.
“With offshore wind, the world has an effective solution for adding large amounts of zero carbon power at affordable costs, while creating jobs and new investments in industry and infrastructure all around the world.”
