European wind industry has hard times ahead

       Over the coming years, the international wind energy industry will have to be satisfied with considerably lower growth rates. This goes especially for the European market according to the results of a study by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. The uncertainty of support programs and low-priced natural gas limit the outlook for growth. According to the authors, the situation is exacerbated by the a fact that onshore wind power in Germany is approaching saturation and is coming to a standstill in other countries such as Spain because of a lack of financial resources. European companies also have to face the aggressive price policy of Chinese vendors, who are able to offer their turbines at a price approximately 20% lower than that of European manufacturers.
       Offshore wind power can partially compensate for the low onshore growth. Offshore will evolve into the key wind energy sector in this decade. From 2011 to 2015, the annual size of the market will increase from 1.2GM to 4.3GM, an increase of 260%. During the next five years, growth will then flatten: in 2020, the size of the market is expected to amount to 8GW, which is a further increase of 87% over 2015.