International Energy Agency Predicts Wind Will Dominate Europe's Grid By 2027 (arstechnica.com)

AmiMoJo shares a report from Ars Technica: Today, roughly 25 percent of the European Union's power currently comes from nuclear sources, with coal and gas each delivering a little above 20 percent. Wind constitutes 10 percent of the European Union's energy mix. But by 2027, IEA's forecasts (PDF) put wind just beating all other electricity sources with a 23-percent share of the energy mix. "Other Renewables" like biomass plants contribute a little over 20 percent, gas adds 20 percent, nuclear contributes just a little below 20 percent, and coal declines to just over 10 percent. Solar energy contributes about six or seven percent in the IEA's 2027 scenario. The European Union has a wealth of wind energy, especially offshore wind energy, a sector in which the EU is the global leader. Offshore wind allows turbines to be built bigger, and coastal winds are often stronger and more consistent than onshore winds. [The IEA forecasts 200 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity by 2040.]

Comments

Re:You can't store wind

[GNious]

Fuck
We've been doing wind-power since the early 1970s, and it makes up 50% of our energy, and NOW you tell me it doesn't work?!? Why didn't you bring us this revelation decades ago, before we made it work?!?!?

Re:Good no more trade problems with the EU

[crunchygranola]

Because Europe is not going to take any measures to keep their grid stable?

I sort of suspect that they are going keep that a high priority as wind capacity is installed, just as they do now and have always done. A whole array of measures are available (long distance transmission to even things out, pumped storage, battery storage, having sectors that can shut down or reduce demand when needed, postpone planned maintenance outages, etc.). Even the pessimistic analyses of fossil fuel proponents admit that the stability problems they predict won't start showing up until the penetration reaches about 30%. This forecast has it increasing to only 27%.

Also the emphasis on randomness is odd, since wind patterns are not in fact random at all, and are predictable with very good accuracy several days out. We aren't talking about the wind blowing on your lawn, but across a huge subcontinent.