Onshore wind is an economic and environmental cornerstone for northern Europe. New installations typically achieve capacity factors of 30–45%, roughly double that of solar in the UK, according to Carbon Brief. The wind sector contributes €52bn to European GDP annually, supports 400,000 jobs and delivers more than €10bn in taxes, WindEurope estimates. Its value is reflected in rising industrial power purchase agreements (PPAs) with 9 GW of wind power purchased in 2023, equivalent to half of Greece’s annual electricity demand. Public support remains strong, with 85% of Europeans in favour of wind expansion, especially where communities benefit directly.

While nearly 250 GW of onshore wind capacity is installed in Europe, project development is falling short. WindEurope forecasts that 75% of all new EU turbines through 2030 will be onshore, reaching 304 GW by the end of the decade. But current build rates are only half of what is needed to meet EU climate targets, due to permitting delays, inadequate grid infrastructure and a sluggish pace of electrification, which still accounts for just 23% of EU energy consumption.

UK policy progress 
The UK has enormous wind potential, particularly in Scotland. As onshore wind has been effectively blocked in England for nearly a decade, in July 2024 the UK established the Onshore Wind Taskforce, uniting government, industry and unions to rapidly accelerate wind deployment. The resulting strategy detailed 42 actions, spanning planning reforms, grid upgrades, supply chain development and workforce skills, to help the UK deliver up to 29 GW of onshore wind by 2030, more than doubling Great Britain’s current capacity of 14.8 GW. Key steps include consulting on expanding permitted development rights for small-scale and repowered projects, major public investment in renewables via Great British Energy, and concerted efforts to resolve aviation and defence infrastructure barriers.

James Robottom, Head of Onshore Wind Delivery at RenewableUK, described the strategy as essential to the government’s Clean Power by 2030 mission, praising its focus on grid access, repowering, planning reform and investment incentives. He also stressed the need to maximise new capacity in last month's AR7 Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction. 

Fiona Lindsay, Managing Director at ReBlade, confirms early signs of recovery. Local authorities in England are beginning to issue feasibility study tenders, although most are in the ‘pre-scoping phase’ pending both environmental and economic viability assessments. In practice, development is focused on repowering and extensions, which face fewer planning risks and greater local support.

Grid access is a critical constraint, particularly in Scotland, where some connection dates now stretch beyond 2037, and costs associated with upgrades and aviation mitigation, for example, are often prohibitively high. However, Lindsay emphasises that supply chain development presents an opportunity, and repowering existing sites offers lower planning risk, established stakeholder precedent and the potential for significant local economic benefits.

Hybrid projects combining wind, solar and storage are considered to be attractive, offering the ability to produce, store and consume power locally. However, ‘making these projects work financially is the issue, especially if the scale of development is limited,’ she notes.

Moreover, decommissioning the used materials from solar and battery storage projects responsibly remains uncertain, although research is underway. ‘Ultimately, it’s a balance between finding the right site to locate this infrastructure and making the economics work to get it past financial investment, assuming the sites pass the environmental tests and make it through the regulatory planning processes,’ she adds.

The supply chain is viewed as a growing opportunity, with potential for job creation and local economic benefits. Community engagement, especially around repowering existing farms, is seen as a crucial factor for success. Local residents tend to be more welcoming for projects that build on familiar infrastructure and provide socioeconomic advantages, including employment in construction, operation and decommissioning phases.

Germany: blueprint for scalable onshore wind 
Germany leads Europe in onshore wind deployment, adding 4 GW of capacity in 2024, and is expected to double that pace by 2027, according to WindEurope. In the first half of 2025, Germany commissioned 409 onshore wind turbines, totalling 2.2 GW, the highest volume since 2017. Approvals surged to 7.8 GW, marking an all-time record for any first half-year period. This positive momentum continues 2024’s trend: commissioning rose by 67% and new approvals by 55% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, approval times have fallen by over 20%, and now average just 18 months.

Frank Grüneisen of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE) attributes this trend to previous Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s permitting reforms, expanded tenders and the ‘overriding public interest’ legal framework. This law gives priority status to wind projects, streamlining court processes and enabling 15 GW of permits in 2024 alone. That’s seven times the amount permitted just five years ago, says WindEurope. Infrastructure investment has also been pivotal, with €100bn allocated to climate-related upgrades.

Still, grid constraints remain. BWE has advocated for co-located hybrid projects and reservation mechanisms to reduce wait times. Germany’s supply chain has proven responsive. But Grüneisen warns that policy consistency – particularly adherence to the EEG (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, or Renewable Energy Sources Act), which is targeted to generate 80% of electricity from renewables by 2030 – is vital to maintain investor confidence.

Digitalisation – a competitive edge 
Germany’s wind expansion is also benefiting from digital innovation. Heiko Bartels, Managing Director at Caeli-Wind, describes how the company’s digital platform connects landowners with developers vetted through data-driven site assessments. These digital tools analyse wind potential, grid proximity and legal constraints to identify viable projects quickly.

‘The biggest bottleneck is land availability where wind resource, planning and ownership align,’ says Bartels. Recent policies with binding land targets for states and enhanced municipal incentives are helping unlock more suitable sites and galvanise local support. Caeli’s digital matchmaking is claimed to accelerate access and increases transparency. Local engagement remains crucial, with communities more receptive when involved early and offered financial participation.

Hybrid projects are also becoming more attractive. Bartels reports growing interest in wind-plus-solar-plus-BESS (battery energy storage system) configurations that optimise land use and grid connections. Caeli’s platform flags hybrid potential during early-stage development, enabling faster permitting and more resilient business models.

Is solar PV undermining onshore wind? 
In Northern Europe, onshore wind still outperforms solar in output and cost-effectiveness. While falling solar module prices have improved competitiveness, capacity factors remain a key differentiator. In the UK, solar averages 10–15%, compared to 30–45% for new wind projects. Cloud cover and low solar irradiance in higher latitudes limit solar’s standalone viability.

However, in countries like Germany and the Netherlands, solar is increasingly viewed as complementary. With different generation profiles, solar and wind smooth output variability across seasons and hours, especially when paired with storage. As land and grid capacity become constrained, combining technologies is more efficient than competing technologies.

• Further reading: ‘Onshore wind beats solar PV as the lowest-cost renewable energy source in 2024’. In 2024, onshore wind was the most affordable source of new renewable electricity in terms of levelised cost of ownership at $0.034/kWh, followed by solar PV at $0.043/kWh, according to IRENA’s new report on renewable power generation costs in 2024. The most expensive source of new renewable energy was concentrated solar power at $0.092/kWh, which compared favourably to battery storage at $0.104/kWh.
• Find out how onshore wind is expanding with major project start-ups in Africa and Australia, and is getting ever safer in the UK.