Investment appetite for onshore wind projects has fallen sharply in Flanders and the Netherlands. However, according to international cost comparisons, onshore wind remains competitive, even when system costs are considered. However, the profitability of onshore wind is being undermined by falling capture rates. The current market model is not geared towards weather-dependent production. As a result, onshore wind remains dependent on subsidies. 

However, recent analyses by Elia show that this also applies to more than 1 GW of existing gas-fired power stations and all new (gas-fired) power not economically viable without support. stations. We are rapidly evolving towards an energy landscape in which investments in new production capacity, regardless of the technology, are not economically viable without support.

The lull in onshore wind is not a technological failure, but a sign that we are approaching system limits. A redesign of the market model, with a stronger coordinating role for the government and explicit attention to the return of the total system rather than of individual projects, is needed to accelerate the transition and ensure security of supply.