EurObservER updates its World Barometer on Wind Energy

EurObservER has published an update of its barometer on wind energy in the January 2005 edition of Systemes Solaires (in French and English. World wind power capacity is now established at 47,007 MW, with nearly three quarters of this total installed in Europe. The sector's average annual growth rate remains very high at 28.9% for the last ten years. However for the first time in a number of years, the growth in yearly installed worldwide wind power capacity decreased in 2004 with respect to the previous year. The first figures available suggest an additional capacity of 7,644 MW for 2004 while this figure amounted to 7,951 MW during the year 2003.

The European market is still increasing with an additional capacity of nearly 5,900 MW, i.e. 77,4 % of worldwide market. The world market decrease can be explained mainly by a drop in the level of wind power installations in the United States with an additional 448 MW in 2004 vs. nearly 1,707 MW in 2003. This sizeable fall is explained by the late renewal (September 2004) of the PTC (Production Tax Credit) for 2004. The maintainance of Canada's level of wind power growth (+35.3%, i.e. an additional 115 MW) was not enough for North America to hold on to its second largest world market status. Asia took over this position in 2004 with an additional 918 MW, which represented 12% of world capacity installed during 2004. India holds the title of the country with the most spectacular growth (+32.1% with respect to 2003) with an additional capacity of 680 MW, bringing its total installed capacity up to 2,800 MW. It is followed by China (+134 MW, i.e. a growth of 23.7%).

At an estimated worldwide annual electricity production of 54.2 TWh in 2004, wind now produces more than the annual electricity production of countries such as Portugal or Denmark. At the industry level, the trend is towards consolidation and globalisation, and a continuing trend towards larger wind turbines. The European market had an estimated annual value of 5.9 billion euros in 2004. EurObservER provides a revised forecast of 72,060 MW installed capacity in the European Union by 2010, well ahead of the European Union's objective of 40,000 MW.

The full article in Systemes Solaires is available by clicking on the link below.

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