Particle.news
Download on the App Store

China Now Hosts Majority of Offshore Wind Turbines, DLR Satellite Study Finds

A DLR satellite-AI analysis mapped 15,100 sites to highlight Chinese port logistics as the decisive advantage.

Overview

  • DLR counts about 15,100 offshore turbines in operation by spring 2025, with 51% in China, 26% in the EU and 19% in the UK.
  • Global offshore capacity reached roughly 92 GW in Q1 2025, including about 52 GW in China, 21 GW in the EU and around 9.4 GW in Germany.
  • The surge pivoted in 2021, when more than 3,400 new turbines were installed worldwide and 77% of that year’s additions were in China.
  • Using Sentinel-1 radar and AI, researchers tracked build progress and inferred turbine height and capacity; the full 15,100-site dataset is publicly available via European science portals.
  • European researchers warn 2030 offshore targets, particularly for Germany, are at risk due to grid-connection delays, limited vessels and harbor capacity, and supply-chain bottlenecks.