Page 5 - AfrElec Week 31

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

and onshore wind capacity additions in 2019, will be key to driving growth. The most obvious
19% more than in 2018, it was worried in March example is floating offshore, which will reach
that its previous additions forecast for 2020 of full commercialisation by 2030 with at least 6
75GW would be in danger. GW installed globally.
The GWEC’s current offshore report did Turbine technology is also set to improve
give a forecast for 2020, saying that global wind in both efficiency and resilience, resulting in
additions in 2020 would now be 61.4GW, 19% LCOE reductions and increased adoption.
less than its previous forecast of 75GW. Of this, Other innovations such as Power-to-X will
6.6GW will be offshore. This effectively brings also play a key role in opening new market
2020 additions back to 2018 levels, demon- opportunities for offshore wind and decarbon-
strating the resilience of offshore wind as a ising our energy systems.
technology. One major innovation is fostering wind
development in emerging markets, such as in
The future Africa, Latin America.
Looking ahead, the report forecasts that until The report highlighted that GWEC is work-
2030, more than 205GW of new offshore wind ing with the World Bank’s Offshore Wind
capacity will be added globally, including at least Development Programme.
6.2GW of floating offshore wind. This had led to estimates of offshore wind
The GWEC said that this forecast was now technical resource potential in eight countries,
15GW higher than its pre-COVID forecast for including South Africa, Vietnam and Turkey.
2030, demonstrating the resilience of the sector The programme has produced wind maps for
and its potential to play a major role in powering another 48 countries, which could offer 15.6TW
both the energy transition and a green recovery. of technical resource potential.
“Over the coming decade we will see emerg- The report also named South Africa as
ing offshore markets like Japan, Korea and Viet- a potential location for floating offshore
nam move to full deployment, and see the first development.
offshore turbines installed in a number of new Offshore wind has shown resilience to the
countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa,” COVID-19 crisis, backed up by a strong pro-
said Backwell. ject pipeline and policy support in capitals
The report said that innovation in technology worldwide.™

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