Permitting remains the biggest bottleneck for deploying wind at scale. Approximately 80 GW of wind power capacity is currently stuck in permitting procedures across Europe. It takes too long for developers to receive permits – up to nine years in some countries. This is incompatible with the EU’s climate & energy ambitions – last year the EU only installed 16 GW of new wind while it needs 31 GW every year on average to 2030 to meet its targets.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Accenture and WindEurope have come together to work towards a solution and have developed EasyPermits, a digital permitting tool that streamlines the approval process for wind farms in Europe. The EasyPermits platform offers a single location for stakeholders to automate workflows, increase accuracy for wind permit applications and enhance process transparency. This should all contribute to a more streamlined permitting process.

Malgosia Bartosik, Deputy-CEO at WindEurope, said: “More wind energy projects are needed to move towards the new EU 2030 42.5% renewables target. The new EU Renewables Directives mandates EU countries to digitalise permitting processes within two years: this is a game-changer. Now we need to equip municipalities, city planners and permitting authorities with the digital tools to deliver on this. The right tools will make the permitting processes more efficient, save time and money for all stakeholders involved and improve social acceptance, ensuring no one is left behind in Europe’s energy transition. We need rules and tools. Regulation alone will not make it.”