Wind power covers 1 pct of domestic consumption, while Czechia lags Europe in development

Czechia continues to lag significantly in the development and use of wind power. Last year, wind farms covered one percent of the electricity consumed in the country, with the share having stagnated in recent years. Across Europe, wind farms’ share of consumption rose to 20 percent last year. This is according to a report published today by WindEurope.

According to the Renewable Energy Chamber, five new wind turbines were connected to the grid in Czechia last year in Jívová in the Olomouc Region, along with two wind farms in the Bruntál area. Another wind farm was built in the Karlovy Vary Region. Wind power capacity increased by 16 megawatts year on year in 2024, to around 371 megawatts (MW). Wind farms generated a total of 0.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in Czechia last year. The chamber expects at least two more wind farms to be built this year.

Although construction has picked up slightly over the past two years compared with previous years, industry representatives say it still amounts to only a fraction of the development seen in neighbouring countries. „Poland, which is four times larger, installed 50 times more wind turbines than Czechia last year. Wind farms there already cover 14 percent of annual consumption, while in Czechia the figure remains at one percent,“ said Michal Janeček, chairman of the Czech Wind Energy Association (ČSVE).

He noted that the association, together with the chamber and authorities, holds educational seminars and issues recommendations for regions and municipalities. „But we urgently need to simplify the permitting process and speed up the development of energy infrastructure,“ Janeček said. Industry representatives say regional authorities have recently shown growing interest in building wind farms. In the past, however, such plans have repeatedly met with public opposition, for example in municipal referendums.

According to the report, wind farms with a capacity of 16.4 gigawatts (GW) were commissioned in Europe last year, equivalent to the output of 14 Temelín units. The total capacity of wind turbines on the continent reached 285 GW. Wind farms generated 475 TWh of electricity across Europe. Germany installed the most capacity last year (four GW), followed by Britain (1.9 GW), France (1.7 GW) and Finland (1.4 GW).

According to the report, Denmark has the largest share of wind power in its energy mix, with wind supplying up to 56 percent of its electricity. Ireland follows with 33 percent. Wind also covers more than a quarter of consumption in Sweden, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania and Spain.

Despite the much higher wind power capacity in other European countries, the WindEurope report warns that the pace of wind power development is too slow to ensure energy security in Europe. According to the Renewable Energy Chamber, the main reasons are slow permitting, slow grid development and insufficient electrification of the economy.