Wind power

Facts about onshore wind power

• 6.1% of the world's power production came from wind power in 2021 (IEA) 
• Statkraft owns 96 wind turbines (2025) 
• Statkraft's total production from onshore wind power is 8.7 TWh (2024) 
• Statkraft's installed capacity from onshore wind power is 4,199 MW (2024) 
• The authors of the Green Transition Report predict the cost of wind energy to decline by 20% by 2030. 

What is wind energy – and how does wind power work?

Very simply put, wind energy is energy that comes from the wind. No surprises there! When the wind blows, it’s the blades of the wind turbine that cause the shaft inside the turbine to rotate. This movement is converted into electricity and channelled to the electricity grid before reaching homes and businesses. Did you know that wind turbines produce electricity almost non-stop? It’s true. In fact, wind turbines can produce as much as 80-90 percent of the time, and only a light breeze is needed for production to start. Wind power is literally a breeze! Wind turbines are resilient, too, and can withstand winds up to a full storm.  

Where a wind turbine is placed is very important. Typically, wind turbines are placed on ridges or in coastal areas where it is particularly windy so they can create the most energy most effectively. The blades of the turbines can be rotated and adapted to both wind direction and strength (think of a sail on a sailboat) to make the best use of the wind.  

This video below shows you how wind power works:  

This is how electricity from wind is produced, step by step:

1. The blades of a wind turbine capture the wind's kinetic energy. When the wind blows, it makes the blades go round. The stronger the wind blows, the faster the wings rotate. 
2. As the blades turn, they transfer power to a drive shaft. The drive shaft is like a long rod that runs from the blades to the generator in the machine house. 
3. The generator then converts that kinetic energy into electrical energy. 
4. Next, the electricity then goes down through the tower of the wind turbine before being sent out to the power grid and ending up in homes, schools, workplaces, factories, etc.   
5. As long as the wind is blowing, a wind turbine can produce electricity.

Advantages of wind power 

Why is wind power important? Short answer: lots of reasons ranging from climate to energy security. Longer answer: wind power is one of the clean energy sources that, according to several analyses, is predicted to have the strongest growth in the future energy mix. It’s also the technology that can be built the fastest, most affordably and thus contribute to a significant volume of power that’s needed for industries, households and infrastructure. In many parts of the world, it is already cheaper to build new wind power plants than to establish new coal and gas power plants.  

In a short time, technological innovations in wind power have made wind turbines more efficient and robust. Newer turbines now produce more energy, require less maintenance and have a longer lifespan than older turbines. 

Do you want to know more about what role wind power will play in the future? Sign up and read our energy report Green Transition Scenarios

Are you curious about Statkraft's strategy for contributing to the zero-emission society of the future? Get to know our strategy here

Statkraft's production of onshore wind power

Statkraft has been developing onshore wind power for decades. Today, we have ownership in a total of 96 wind power plants in Europe and South America.  

As Statkraft is 100% owned by the Norwegian state, our power production, including wind power, benefits both Norwegian society as well as the countries and local communities where we operate. Power production contributes with positive ripple effects such as supporting local businesses, creating jobs, skill building and delivering tax revenues.

Where is Statkraft's wind power plant located and where is development planned?

Today, Statkraft has wind power plants in the Nordic region, Europe and South America. You can read more about our wind turbines around the world by exploring this map.

Statkraft is planning major investments in Norwegian hydropower and wind power. This work is a significant investment in renewable energy and infrastructure that’s necessary to meet the energy needs not just of today, but of the future. By upgrading and expanding the wind power plants we already have, we also avoid major encroachments on nature. 

You can read more about these wind power projects on our Norwegian site here.

Statkraft is currently searching for opportunities for new wind power projects in Norway and other countries where we are present. 

Wind power in local communities

Onshore wind power, like most forms of energy production, has a direct impact on local communities and people's lives. Therefore, it is important for us to listen to those who know the local environment best, and involve the municipality, landowners, neighbours and other stakeholders transparently and systematically. Here are just some of the ways we do this: 

• Consult and collaborate with governments, communities, organisations, and other relevant parties throughout the life cycle of each project 
• Use local development programs that reduce negative impacts and map out measures to give back to local communities 
• Use local suppliers that strengthen employment in local communities 
• Investigate and manage our impact to ensure that we are always in line with international frameworks, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and IFC standards. 

Here you can read more about how we work with local communities

How does wind power affect the price of electricity?  

In the power market, prices are set based on supply and demand. Changes in price happen when the supply of power changes. Wind turbines produce electricity almost all the time, and on particularly windy days wind power helps to lower the price of electricity. When there is a lot of wind in autumn and winter in particular, this coincides with a greater need for electricity (for example, people needing to heat their homes in cold periods). Therefore, wind power works particularly well with hydropower, as hydropower can then be saved for periods when there might be less wind.  

In Europe, wind power and solar power often complement each other. When it's not windy, the sun is often shining. In this way, wind power provides an important balance in the power system that contributes to more even electricity prices over time – and also contributes to increased energy security in Norway and Europe.

Wind power, sustainability and the environment  

In a world that needs more renewable energy faster, wind power is a technology that can be expanded quickly. Wind power significantly reduces the emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use and produces affordable electricity for industry and communities.  

At the same time, the truth is that all power production has an impact on the environment. In the case of wind power, some of the environmental challenges are: 

• The construction of wind power plants entails natural interventions from, among other things, the construction of roads and foundations for the wind turbines 
• Wind turbines have an impact on birds and other animals that live on the ground, such as the reindeer 
• Wind turbines have a visual impact on the natural landscape as the most suitable locations for wind turbines are often also highly exposed 
• Wind turbines produce noise, which can be annoying.

Because of the impact on nature, some have questioned how environmentally friendly onshore wind power really is. That’s an entirely fair question. At Statkraft, we are constantly working on both research activities and careful planning to predict, understand and minimise our impact. Before each wind power project, we carry out comprehensive assessments of the environmental impacts and what we can do to avoid or compensate for them. 

You can read more about our sustainability commitments here.

Innovation in onshore wind power

Decades of experience have given us good knowledge of where and how we can plan, build and optimise wind power plants. We also work with suppliers who deliver the latest innovation and technology development. As a significant player in the power industry, Statkraft is also an important contributor to national and international research centres and networks. 

Here you can read more about innovation in Statkraft