According to data from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), 6.1 GW of offshore wind capacity was added to the mix in 2019, writes Jennifer Runyon.

This marked a record year for the industry and an impressive 35.5 per cent increase over the previous year, during which 4.5 GW of capacity were installed. The total installed capacity for offshore wind stands at 29 GW.

GWEC says its preliminary forecasts show that as much as 50 GW of offshore wind capacity could be installed globally by 2024, which would bring the total installed capacity at almost 90 GW, an increase of more than 200 percent from today.

Europe remained the largest market for offshore wind, accounting for 59 per cent of new installations in 2019, while the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the remaining 41 per cent.

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China remains the overall leader in new installations for offshore wind, adding more than 2.3 GW capacity in 2019, with the UK and Germany in second and third place, installing 1.8 GW and 1.1 GW respectively.

In all, eight markets reported new offshore wind installations in 2019:

China – 2395 MW

United Kingdom – 1764 MW

Germany – 1111 MW

Denmark – 374 MW

Belgium – 370 MW

Taiwan – 120 MW

Portugal – 8 MW (floating)

Japan – 3 MW (floating)

GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said that offshore wind now makes up 10 per cent of total wind energy installations.

“While mature markets in Europe continue to account for the majority of these installations, Asia Pacific is now increasingly contributing to this growth, with China leading the way as the global offshore wind leader in new capacity,” he said.

“It is also exciting to see floating wind capacity being installed in 2019, as once this technology reaches industrial scale, it will open up whole new markets and opportunities for offshore wind,” he added.