The Czech Republic continues to fall behind Europe in the adoption and expansion of wind energy. In 2024, wind energy accounted for just 1% of the country’s domestic electricity consumption, a figure that has remained unchanged in recent years. In stark contrast, Europe’s wind energy share of consumption reached 20% in the same year, according to a report by WindEurope.
The Chamber of Renewable Energy Sources highlighted some progress in the sector, with five new wind turbines connected to the grid in Jivov and two installations in Bruntál last year. Additionally, a new power plant was built in the Karlovy Vary region. Overall, wind energy capacity in 2024 grew by 16 megawatts, bringing the total to around 371 megawatts (MW). In 2023, wind power plants in the country produced 0.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, and at least two more stations are expected to be added this year, according to the Chamber.
Despite these developments, industry experts note that the pace of wind energy development in the Czech Republic remains slow compared to neighboring countries. “In Poland, which is four times larger than the Czech Republic, 50 times more wind turbines were installed last year. There, wind turbines already cover 14% of annual consumption, whereas in the Czech Republic, this figure is still just 1%,” said Michal Janeček, chairman of the Czech Wind Energy Association (ČSVE).
In contrast, Europe has made significant strides in wind energy in 2024, with new wind power plants totaling 16.4 gigawatts (GW) — equivalent to the capacity of 14 Temelín nuclear power plants. The total wind power generation on the continent reached 285 GW, producing 475 TWh of electricity. Germany led the way with 4 GW of new installations, followed by the United Kingdom (1.9 GW), France (1.7 GW), and Finland (1.4 GW). Denmark leads Europe in wind energy, with wind power contributing to 56% of its electricity needs, followed by Ireland at 33%. Several other European countries, including Sweden, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, and Spain, generate more than a quarter of their electricity from wind.
