Sun & Wind Energy
The Global Wind Energy Council released its annual market statistics (link is external): the 2016 market was more than 54 GW, bringing total global installed capacity to nearly 487 GW.
Led by China, the US, Germany, and India; and with surprisingly strong showings from France, Turkey and the Netherlands, the global wind power market 2016 was nonetheless less than 2015's record total.
Europe had a surprisingly strong year, given the policy uncertainty which plagues the region, posting modest gains with an annual market of 13,926 MW of which the EU-28 contributed 12,491 MW. Germany also had another strong year, installing 5,443 MW to bring its total capacity to more than 50 GW, only the third country to reach that milestone. France had a strong year with more than 1,500 MW, and Turkey broke the 1 GW barrier for the first time, installing 1,387 MW. The Netherlands entered the global top 10 in terms of annual market for the first time, with 887 MW, most of which was offshore.
