New wind power capacity in Europe reached 8.8 GW in the first half of the year, up about 30% from a year earlier, according to WindEurope data cited by Reuters.
The annual increase was driven by Germany as well as strong growth in offshore wind installations, the industry body said. New wind capacity additions in Germany accounted for 39% of Europe’s total for the first half of the year, or 3.4 GW. This meant that at the end of June, there was 311 GW in installed wind power generation capacity on the continent.
The first-half 2026 figure compared with just 13 GW added throughout 2024, and 19.1 GW in 2025, per Wind Europe figures.
“Government decisions on permitting, auctions, grids and electrification in the coming months will make or break this momentum,” the chief executive of the industry group said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters. Both the wind and the solar lobbies in Europe—more specifically the European Union—have been calling for faster and easier permitting to stimulate faster capacity additions.
Government decisions are one part of the equation, but costs are another, and they may interfere with ambitious plans. The war in the Middle East has fueled higher inflation that is spreading across industries, and there is no reason why wind power should be an exception.
Germany is leading the way on wind, but Germany has also been the one to suffer the most in times of Dunkelflaute, or the dark doldrums, meaning periods of low or no wind. Back in 2024, Dunkelflaute led to a surge in German—and European—electricity prices as it caused a sharp slump in wind power generation. In early November, Germany’s hourly power price for the peak hours surged to as much as 900 euros per megawatt-hour.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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