"Wind Energy - The Facts"

Running time: 2003-2004

The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), funded by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Transport and Energy (DG TREN), publishes “Wind Energy - The Facts”, a detailed overview of the wind energy sector. The 330 page, five-volume report provides a comprehensive overview of wind energy’s past, present and future in the EU-25 covering: technology, costs and prices, industry and employment, environment, market development and R&D.

In 1999, the European Wind Energy Association and the European Commission published the first edition of “The Facts”. Many questions raised in the 1999 version of “The Facts” found answers, but new questions and challenges for the industry emerged, while the technology has developed dramatically. In response, EWEA produced an updated and extended edition of “The Facts” in collaboration with a consortium of wind energy experts in technology, economics, environmental impact, and market analysis.

The role and integration of wind energy in liberalised European electricity markets is one of the most important developments since the previous version of The Facts. The future integration of wind energy in the Internal Electricity Market will impact on market structures, market development, payment schemes and grid integration. The EWEA consortium has ensured that the above issues are analysed from a truly European perspective, across the industry.

The objectives of the project were the following:

  • Provide a comprehensive manual covering all aspects of the wind energy field
  • Inform policy makers, industry specialists, and the wider public
  • Promote wind energy as a market showing vigorous growth
  • Inform the general public of the reality of wind energy as a mature and beneficial technology
  • Initiate a regularly updated internet based information source

On this page, you will find the complete text of The Facts, as well as the Executive Summary. For hard copies, please contact Ms Chantal Gennen: ewea(at)ewea.org.  

Project partners: 

With the support of the European Commission