Worldwide wind capacity reaches 197 GW, slight decrease in new capacity
The highlights of the World Wind Energy Report 2011:
· The worldwide wind capacity reached 237 016 Megawatt, out of which 40 053 Megawatt were added in 2011, more than ever before.
· Altogether, 98 countries and regions have been identified worldwide to use wind power for electricity generation.
· Wind power showed a growth rate of 20,3 %, the lowest rate in more than a decade.
· All wind turbines installed by the end of 2011 worldwide can provide 500 Terawatthours per annum, around 3 % of the global electricity consumption.
· The wind sector in 2011 had a turnover of 50 billion Euro/65 billion USD.
· Continents:
o Asia accounted for the largest share of new installations (53,7 %), followed by Europe (21,9 %) and North America (20,5 %). Latin America stood for 2,9 % and Australia/Oceania for 0,9 %. Africa (0,2 %) represented only for a negligible share.
· Asia:
o China continued to be by far the largest market and added 17,6 Gigawatt, however, for the first time showed an unexpected decrease in new installations.
o India re-gained old strength and became the third largest market for new wind turbines, adding 2,8 Gigawatt. Recent studies suggest that the country has a much bigger wind potential than assessed earlier.
· Europe:
o Germany kept its number one position in Europe with 29 075 Megawatt, followed by Spain with 21 673 Megawatt.
o Italy, France and the UK continued to be the medium-sized markets, between 6 and 6,7 Gigawatt.
· North America:
o The US market recovered from a very weak 2010 but stayed behind expectations, adding 5,6 GW.
o Canada made a big step ahead and became the fifth largest market for new wind turbines.
· Latin America became the most dynamic world region with high growth, especially due to Brazil and Mexico.
· Africa showed stagnation, only Cap Verde and, as a newcomer, Ethiopia, installing new wind farms.
· The share of offshore wind in the overall capacity fell to 1,5 %, after 1,6 % in 2010.
· Many major markets are facing negative outlook due to lack of political support.
· WWEA sees a global capacity of 500 000 Megawatt as possible by the year 2015 and more than 1 000 000 Megawatt by the year 2020.
The full pdf version of the report can be downloaded here in English 2.96 Mb