The Energy Industry Times
Wind power is a powerful tool for tackling greenhouse gas emissions and is increasingly the technology of choice for utilities and system operators seeking to decrease the risks posed by volatile fossil fuel prices, argues the Global Wind Energy Council. But negotiators at the upcoming climate change conference in Paris need the courage to stand up to the incumbent lobbies. Steve Sawyer
With the next big international climate summit coming up at the end of 2015, it’s useful to review where the global wind sec- tor is at the moment, and what role the wind industry is already playing in reducing carbon emissions, while at the same time looking at how much more it could do with the right signals coming out of the COP21 climate change conference in Paris. Wind had a very good year in 2014, installing more than 50 GW of clean, affordable power for the first time in a single year. This year looks like it will be a pretty good year as well, with the global market passing 400 GW of total installed capacity. This was welcome news after four years of essentially flat markets due to the financial crisis and associated economic slowdown.