Offshore Wind Energy

Global growth continues. It's good news for decarbonising our energy systems and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) recently published its 2020 report and offered some positive news for the labour market, predicting that offshore wind energy could create 900,000 jobs globally over the next decade.

The GWEC said 2019 was the best year on record for offshore wind and predicted capacity would grow eightfold by 2030, powered by a clean energy surge in Asia. China remains in the number one spot for the second year in a row for new installations, followed by the UK and then Germany.

It said the resilience of renewables during the coronavirus crisis was making offshore wind more attractive to countries that have previously lagged behind in the sector. Offshore wind is being seen as a major contributor to post-covid economic recovery by governments around the world and is, of course, very good news in our efforts to decarbonise our energy systems.

“Offshore wind is truly going global, as governments around the world recognise the role that the technology can play in kickstarting economic recovery through large-scale investment, creating jobs and bringing economic development to coastal communities,” said Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC.

More on renewables:

• Investing in Renewables: IREA suggests that investment in renewables could generate almost $100tn in global GDP before 2050, paying for itself, and returning between $3 and $8 on every dollar invested.

• Good News for Sustainability and the Planet: Renewable power accounted for a whopping 72% of all global power expansion in 2019.

• US Energy Reversal: Renewables surpass coal in US energy generation for first time in 130 years. ‘We are seeing the end of coal,’ says analyst as energy source with biggest impact on climate crisis falls for sixth year in a row.