Policy
RSS feedNews & in-depth analysis of wind power and renewable energy policy, legislation & regulation, pricing, tariffs & incentives, permitting and environmental issues.
German production record 'masks sector challenges'
Wind power generation reached record levels in Germany in the first half of the year, according to new figures from the country’s transmission system operators (TSOs). However, German wind energy association BWE warned that not enough projects had started construction or been permitted during the period.
Poland plans offshore pact mirroring UK sector deal
Polish government and offshore wind representatives have agreed to work together to develop, sign and ultimately implement an offshore wind ‘sector deal’ for the country, similar to the agreement in place in the UK.
Five-year extension proposed for PTC
The main support scheme for wind power in the US could be extended by five years under proposals included in a new bill introduced in the House of Representatives.
News and analysis
'Red tape to blame' for sluggish Italian wind growth
Ambitious national targets and proposed EU funding will not be enough to boost wind power in Italy unless simpler permitting rules are introduced.
Wind to dominate EU energy landscape 'well before 2025', says IEA
Wind will become the largest power source for the European Union in less than five years, driven by investment in offshore wind farms, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Japan sparks offshore with first floating tender
Japan has launched its first ever public tender to kickstart its nascent floating offshore wind industry.
'UK must look beyond England', watchdog urges
Clearer auction terms and friendlier permitting regimes could help low-cost onshore wind flourish in a post-coronavirus UK, according to the government’s climate adviser.
Lacklustre participation in German wind tender as prices hold steady
Germany’s second onshore wind-only auction of 2020 only awarded just over half the available 825MW capacity. In contrast, a simultaneous, if smaller, solar tender received bids for four times the capacity on offer and saw prices increase.
in depth
WindEconomics: How will wind fare after the Covid-19 pandemic?
With lockdowns reducing demand for electricity and sending oil and gas prices tumbling, Windpower Monthly's economics editor David Milborrow takes a look at the future of wind power after the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19 lockdowns hit onshore predictions
Until the coronavirus pandemic brought much of the global economy to a standstill, the wind sector had been expected to install more than 60GW in 2020. This now has been revised downwards, before the outbreak has even peaked in many countries. We take a look at how individual markets are likely to be affected.
Repowering is key to true 'transition'
There was always something slightly dispiriting about the phrase "energy transition". It represented something sluggish and recalcitrant -- a creeping, crawling process through conferences and committees about how shifting from dirty and resource-finite sources to clean and sustainable energy could be managed in the prevailing economic and political circumstances.
Steady outlook for wind sector after record year in Greece
As the country recovers from its economic crisis and the accompanying lull in renewables installations, new investors are entering the market and developers are making use of the latest turbine technology.
WindEconomics: Wind share could rise to 35% of global electricity production by 2050
While there is a consensus that the costs of onshore and offshore wind energy will continue to fall, there is, unsurprisingly, some variation in the projections.
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