Offshore wind’s key role in the global energy transition

Offshore wind is a zeitgeist technology in the transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon power sources. The way the industry has scaled up and innovated relentlessly, particularly over the last decade, is breathtaking. Some 4.5 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind capacity was installed last year, bringing the global total to 23 GW – enough to meet the annual electricity needs of more than 20 million homes a year. Quite an achievement given that there was next to nothing installed before 2000.