Renewables International
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), which just released its overview of statistics from last year, China made up nearly half of the world market for wind farms last year.
Of the 63 gigawatts of wind power capacity installed last year, China built 30.5 GW. Overall, the global market grew by 22 percent. The US accounted for 8.6 GW; Germany 6 GW. Overall, there is now 432 GW of wind power capacity installed worldwide. GWEC general secretary Steve Sawyer says wind power is the leading energy source in the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. He sees new markets in Africa, Asia, and Latin America becoming market leaders over the next 10 years. New turbine designs (for regular readers of this blog, Bernard Chabot’s silent wind revolution) are the main reason why wind power is the least expensive option in a growing number of regions.