A group of European agricultural machinery manufacturers fly to California
A group of European agricultural machinery manufacturers fly to California to assess the market for producing wind turbines. 20-30 turbines are shipped and installed from Europe to California by the end of the year
One of the first wind turbines
One of the first wind turbines – a 22 kw Bonus model, 1982
The first European wind farm
The first European wind farm (5 x 20 kW turbines) opens on Greek island of Kythnos
Wind turbine size reaches 55 kW
Wind turbine size reaches 55 kW
Growian’s 3 MW two-bladed turbine
Growian’s 3 MW two-bladed turbine with 100 metre rotor diameter erected in Germany. It is abandoned in 1988
Europe exports 350 turbines
Europe exports 350 turbines, with a total capacity of 20 MW, to California
In Denmark, vestas
In Denmark, Vestas starts serial production of a 75 kW three-bladed turbine
Enercon develops its first turbine
Enercon develops its first turbine, the E-15/16 (55 kW)
West German firm, WindkraftZentrale
West German firm, WindkraftZentrale, begins exporting wind turbines
Vestas decides to concentrate exclusively on wind energy
Vestas decides to concentrate exclusively on wind energy
Fifteen single-bladed MBB
Fifteen single-bladed MBB (Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm) turbines go up in Germany. They are eventually dismantled in 1992
Danish Bonus company begins series production
Danish Bonus company begins series production of a 450 kW three-bladed machine with 35 metre rotor
Europe’s largest wind farm installed in Jutland
Europe’s largest wind farm installed in Jutland, Denmark (42 x Nordtank 300 kW turbines)
First offshore wind park constructed
First offshore wind park constructed at Vindeby off the coast of Denmark with eleven 450 kW turbines
First UK wind farm opens at Delabole
First UK wind farm opens at Delabole in Cornwall, with ten 400 kW wind turbines
Ten 30 kW wind turbines from German Aeroman
Ten 30 kW wind turbines from German Aeroman are installed on Sijiao island off the Shanghai coast of China
Enercon builds first E-40 direct drive (gearless) turbine
Enercon builds first E-40 direct drive (gearless) turbine
France installs its first wind farm in the Tramont
France installs its first wind farm in the Tramonte wind corridor of the western Mediterranean using four Vestas 500 kW turbines
Spanish company Gamesa starts joint venture
Spanish company Gamesa starts joint venture with Vestas to manufacture wind turbines in Spain
Danish manufacturer Nordex
Danish manufacturer Nordex erects prototype of 1.5 MW turbine in Denmark. Vestas and German company Tacke soon follow suit
The Iranian government
The Iranian government—the world’s fifth largest oil producer—orders its first wind farm, comprising 300 kW Nordtank turbines
Enercon celebrates erection
Enercon celebrates erection of the company’s 1,000th E-40 turbine
Vestas floated as a public company
Vestas floated as a public company on the Copenhagen stock exchange
First large-scale offshore wind farm
First large-scale offshore wind farm, Middelgrunden, is erected off Copenhagen. 8,500 shareholders in Danish cooperative share 50% ownership of the 20 Bonus 2 MW turbines
Horns Rev offshore wind farm opens
Horns Rev offshore wind farm opens in Danish North Sea (80 x Vestas 2 MW turbines)
Multinational corporation General Electri
Multinational corporation General Electric buys Enron Wind Corp, with both US and European manufacturing bases
Vestas and NEG Micon merge to form
Vestas and NEG Micon merge to form the world’s largest turbine manufacturer, Vestas
The UK opens its first offshore wind farm
The UK opens its first offshore wind farm, North Hoyle, with 60 MW of capacity
Siemens buys Bonus Energy of Denmark
Siemens buys Bonus Energy of Denmark, the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer, and joins the wind energy business
German turbine manufacturer REpower installs prototype 5 MW turbine
German turbine manufacturer REpower installs prototype 5 MW turbine
Danish blade manufacturer LM
Danish blade manufacturer LM Glasfiber produces its longest blade yet – 61.5 metres in length
A wind turbine supply agreement commits Spanish
A wind turbine supply agreement commits Spanish Iberdrola to buy 2,700 MW, valued at €2.3 billion, from manufacturer Gamesa
Iberdrola Renovables and Gamesa
Iberdrola Renovables and Gamesa sign an agreement to develop and manage some wind projects together, and to supply 4.5 GW of turbines
world’s first full-scale floating wind turbine starts operations
September: Hywind (2.3 MW), the world’s first full-scale floating wind turbine starts operations in the North Sea
WindFloat (2 MW), the world’s second
WindFloat (2 MW), the world’s second floating offshore multi-megawatt wind turbine, starts generation 5km off the coast of Portugal. It was the first to be deployed without the use of any offshore heavy lift vessels
Alstom’s 6 MW Haliade
Alstom’s 6 MW Haliade begins generating electricity during certification testing
The world’s largest offshore wind farm
The world’s largest offshore wind farm opens off the coast of Cumbria, England. It has a capacity of 367 MW
IKEA announces a €1 billion
IKEA announces a €1 billion commitment to wind, solar and climate action. Other companies also take to wind energy to power their businesses including BMW, General Motors, Nissan, Honda, CEMEX, Heineken, LEGO, IKEA, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple
July: Dutch tender brings offshore wind
July: Dutch tender brings offshore wind on a par with conventional power generation as DONG Energy surprises the industry with its record-low bid of €72.7/MWh for the Borssele I and II wind farms
November: Vattenfall amazes the market
November: Vattenfall amazes the market with a winning bid of €49.9/MWh for the Danish Kriegers Flak offshore wind project
June: 10 European countries sign a memorandum
June: 10 European countries sign a memorandum of understanding for regional cooperation in the North Sea to further the deployment of offshore wind energy
Wind generates enough to cover Denmark’s
Wind generates enough to cover Denmark’s entire power demand on 22 February
Hywind Scotland: The world’s first floating wind farm is commissioned
18 October 2017 – Hywind Scotland: The world’s first floating wind farm is commissioned. 5 turbines of 6 MW each are connected to test floating technology in a park layout.
April: the results of the German offshore tender shock
April: the results of the German offshore tender shock the energy business as EnBW and DONG Energy announce the world’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farms (to be developed by 2025)
May: Spain returns to wind energy with record low prices
May: Spain returns to wind energy with record low prices
Ørsted’s Walney Extension becomes the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm
6 September 2018 – Ørsted’s Walney Extension, located in the Irish Sea, becomes the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm with 659 MW in total.
Mercedes-Benz makes the first corporate PPA deal in Germany for 46 MW of wind power
18 December 2018 – Mercedes-Benz makes the first corporate PPA deal in Germany for 46 MW of wind power. The PPA will support the wind farm’s operation when government incentives come to an end in 2021.
Ørsted and Northumbrian Water Group sign the UK’s first Offshore Wind Energy PPA to deliver 100 GWh every year for the next 10 years
1 March 2019 – Ørsted and Northumbrian Water Group sign the UK’s first Offshore Wind Energy PPA to deliver 100 GWh every year for the next 10 years.
In 2019, wind energy represented 300,000 jobs in Europe. 75% of these are in onshore wind and 25% in offshore.
December 2019 – In 2019, wind energy represented 300,000 jobs in Europe. 75% of these are in onshore wind and 25% in offshore.
Hornsea One is now the largest offshore wind farm in the world. In just two years the project holding this record nearly doubled in capacity.
January 2020 – Hornsea One is now the largest offshore wind farm in the world. In just two years the project holding this record nearly doubled in capacity.
The 1 GW Fosen Vind complex in Norway is commissioned and becomes the largest onshore project in Europe.
August 2020 – The 1 GW Fosen Vind complex in Norway is commissioned and becomes the largest onshore project in Europe.
The Dogger Bank wind farm raises €9.4bn and becomes the largest project ever financed.
November 2020 – The Dogger Bank wind farm raises €9.4bn and becomes the largest project ever financed. It is set to become the largest wind farm in the world with 190 GE Haliade-X 13 MW turbines that will deliver 2.4 GW to the UK grid.
Europe now has 220 GW of wind capacity and an additional 105 GW of new wind farms will be built over the next five years, provided Governments deliver on their ambitions.
January 2021 – Europe now has 220 GW of wind capacity and an additional 105 GW of new wind farms will be built over the next five years, provided Governments deliver on their ambitions.
The first tender under the new Spanish auction design resulted in record low prices for new wind energy in Europe. The lowest wind energy bid was awarded at a price of €20/MWh.
January 2021 – The first tender under the new Spanish auction design resulted in record low prices for new wind energy in Europe. The lowest wind energy bid was awarded at a price of €20/MWh.
The Danish Government announces it will build the first energy island in the North Sea. The Danish North Sea Energy Island will merge up to 10 GW of offshore wind farms and will combine transmission, storage and power-to-x technologies to transport the energy to countries where demand is highest.
January 2021- The Danish Government announces it will build the first energy island in the North Sea. The Danish North Sea Energy Island will merge up to 10 GW of offshore wind farms and will combine transmission, storage and power-to-x technologies to transport the energy to countries where demand is highest.
Larger onshore turbines are helping to repower projects. Now wind farm capacity can almost double with 30% fewer turbines.
April 2021 – Larger onshore turbines are helping to repower projects. Now wind farm capacity can almost double with 30% fewer turbines.
