ROW

Strong wind growth in China, US and Europe bucks predictions

The world’s wind power capacity grew by nearly a third in 2009, taking total installations to 157.9 GW with China leading the way, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).

Wind capacity in China grew by over 100% once again, taking its total capacity to 25.1 GW. It is now the world’s largest market in wind generation.

“China is putting strong efforts into developing the country’s tremendous wind resource,” says Li Junfeng, secretary general of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

He says the country will meet its unofficial target of 150 GW well before 2020.

New wind capacity in India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan make Asia the largest regional market for 2009, ahead of the US and Europe.

The US, however, remains ahead in terms of actual installed capacity at 35 GW. Despite poor predictions, capacity grew by 10 GW in 2009, up nearly 40%.

“The US wind energy industry shattered all installation records in 2009, chalking up the Recovery Act as a historic success in creating jobs, avoiding carbon, and protecting consumers,” says Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Europe also grew capacity by 10.5 GW with Spain and Germany leading the way with 2.5 GW and 1.9 GW of new wind generation respectively. Italy, France and the UK all added 1 GW of wind capacity to their totals.

Next year, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) expects ten offshore wind farms to be completed, adding a further 1000 MW.

There are currently 17 offshore wind farms totalling over 3500 MW in capacity under construction in the region, with just under half in UK waters. Consent has been given to a further 52 offshore sites in European waters totalling over 16,000 MW.

“The continued rapid growth of wind power despite the financial crisis and economic downturn is testament to the inherent attractiveness of the technology, which is clean, reliable and quick to install,” says Steve Sawyer of the GWEC.

The organisation estimates that the wind turbine installation market is now worth around $63 billion and employs around half a million people around the world. Current wind capacity is producing 340 TWh of electricity and saving 204 million tons of CO₂ every year.

Meanwhile, new developments in the pipeline include a 295 MW offshore wind farm in the Nordsee Ost, off the coast of Germany. REpower Systems will be supplying the RWE project company for Nordsee Ost with 48 6 MW turbines. The three-year construction project will begin this next year, with the first turbines operational in mid-2012.

Invenergy Wind North America has secured CAN$179 million in funding from Manulife Financial to construct and operate a 78 MW wind farm in Western Ontario, Canada. The Raleigh Wind Project will feature 52 General Electric (GE) 1.5xle wind turbines.

GE has also received an order to supply turbines for wind farms in Brazil that will provide over 400 MW of power.

And France has seen seven wind farms with a total capacity of 84 MW commissioned last month. Iberdrola Renovables, a subsidiary of the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, opened five wind farms with a capacity of 46 MW, while EDF Energies Nouvelles has opened two new sites with a capacity of 38 MW.

For further information:
www.gwec.net/
www.awea.org/
www.ewea.org/fileadmin/emag/statistics/2009offshore/
www.repower.de/index.php?L=1
www.rwe.com/web/cms/en/97798/rwe-npower/
www.invenergyllc.com/
www.ge.com/
www.iberdrolarenovables.es/wcren/corporativa/iberdrola?IDPAG=ENINICIORENOVAB

08 February 2010

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