Wind energy markets exceeded expectations

Wind energy markets exceeded expectations

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb 2007 - Booming wind 
energy markets around the world exceeded expectations in 2006, 
with the sector experiencing a second consecutive record year. 

Covering wind energy developments in more than 70 countries, 
figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council, GWEC, show 
the installation of 15,197 megawatts last year, an increase of 
32 percent over 2005 - another record year in which the market 
grew by 41 percent. 
These installations take the total global wind energy capacity 
to 74,223 megawatts, up from 59,091 megawatts in 2005. 
Installing the nacelles at the Ainsworth wind farm in Nebraska 

A megawatt of wind produces about as much electricity as up to 
300 typical North American households use in a year, according 
to American wind power developer enXco. 
The GWEC said this level of development shows that the global 
wind energy industry is responding quickly to the challenge of 
manufacturing at the required level, despite constraints 
facing supply chains for wind turbines. 
In terms of economic value, the wind energy sector has now 
become firmly installed as one of the important players in the 
energy markets, with the total value of new generating 
equipment installed in 2006 reaching US$23 billion or €18 
billion. 
The country with the highest total installed capacity is 
Germany with 20,621 megawatts. 
Spain and the United States are in second and third place, 
each with a little more than 11,603 megawatts installed. 
India is in fourth place with 6,270 megawatts total, and 
Denmark ranks fifth with 3,136 megawatts installed. 
A new 3-bladed rotor is lifted by a crane for installation on 
the Controls Advanced Research Turbine at the National Wind 
Technology Center, Golden, Colorado. 
In terms of newly installed capacity, the United States 
continued to lead the world for the second year running with 
2,454 megawatts installed in 2006. 
"Strong growth figures in the U.S. prove that wind is now a 
mainstream option for new power generation," said Randy 
Swisher, president of the American Wind Energy Association. 
"Wind’s exponential growth reflects the nation’s increasing 
demand for clean, safe and domestic energy, and continues to 
attract both private and public sources of capital," said 
Swisher. 
"New generating capacity worth US$4 billion was installed in 
2006, billing wind as one of the largest sources of new power 
generation in the country – second only to natural gas – for 
the second year in a row," he said. 
"While Germany and Spain still represent 50 percent of the EU 
market, we are seeing a healthy trend towards less reliance on 
these two countries," said Christian Kjaer, CEO of the 
European Wind Energy Association. 
"In the EU, 3,755 MW were installed outside of Germany, Spain 
and Denmark in 2006," said Kjaer. "In 2002, this figure still 
stood at only 680 MW." 
Germany has the most installed wind capacity of any country 
and Lower Saxony is Germany's number one wind power state. It 
has installed over 3,000 wind turbines with a combined output 
of 3,200 megawatts. 
"The figures clearly confirm that a second wave of European 
countries is investing in wind power," he said. 
Thirteen countries can now be counted among those with over 
1,000 megawatts of wind capacity, with Canada and France 
reaching this threshold in 2006. 
Within the EU, France moved up to third place in 2006 from 
sixth place in 2005, with 810 megawatts installed during the 
year - more capacity than had previously been commissioned in 
the entire history of the French wind market. 
Canada also had a record year, with the installed capacity 
more than doubling to 1459 megawatts during 2006. 
"Wind energy is an emerging Canadian success story and 2006 
will be remembered as the year that our country first began to 
seriously capture its economic and environmental benefits,” 
said Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy 
Association. 
"Canada’s is on the cusp of a wind energy boom as provincial 
governments are now targeting to have a minimum of 10,000 MW 
of installed wind energy capacity in place by 2015," Hornung 
said. 
Asia experienced the strongest increase in installed capacity 
outside of Europe, with an addition of 3,679 megawatts, taking 
the continent over 10,600 megawatts, about half that of 
Germany. 
In 2006, the continent grew by 53 percent and accounted for 24 
percent of new installations. 
China more than doubled its total installed capacity by 
installing 1,347 megawatts of wind energy in 2006, a 70 
percent increase over 2005. 
This brings China up to 2,604 MW of capacity, making it the 
sixth largest market worldwide. 
A wind power plant in Dabancheng, northwest China's Xinjiang 
Uyguir Autonomous Region. 
The Chinese market was boosted by the country’s new Renewable 
Energy Law, which entered into force on January 1, 2006. 
"Thanks to the Renewable Energy law, the Chinese market has 
grown substantially in 2006, and this growth is expected to 
continue and speed up," said Li Junfeng of the Chinese 
Renewable Energy Industry Association. 
"According to the list of approved projects and those under 
construction, more than 1,500 MW will be installed in 2007," 
said Li. "The goal for wind power in China by the end of 2010 
is 5,000 MW, which according to our estimations will already 
be reached well ahead of time." 
Growth in the relatively young African and Middle Eastern 
market picked up in 2006, with 172 megawatts of new installed 
capacity - mainly in Egypt, Morocco, and Iran - bringing the 
total up to 441 megawatts, a 63 percent growth. 
Compared to previous years, the Australian market experienced 
slow growth in 2006. 
"While 2006 saw only 109 megawatts installed, bringing total 
capacity to 817 megawatts, the Australian market has been 
given a new lease of life with the introduction of state based 
renewable energy targets providing a more positive outlook for 
2007," said Dominique La Fontaine, CEO of the Australian Wind 
Energy Association. 

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