MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Germany forecasts “explosive” growth for wind energy

Global annual wind energy production is expected to grow “explosively” in the next 10 years to reach 107,000 megawatt (MW) by the year 2017, (from the current 20.000 MW) according to a study from the German wind energy institute, DEWI, which is organizing the Husum Wind Energy trade fair next September.

The study also said that by end-2017, total global installed wind energy capacity may reach about 718,000 MW compared with the 94,593 MW recorded at the end of last year In 2007, all global installations rose by 27% to 94,593 MW, with 78% of new installations made in the United States, China, Spain, Germany and India, the study said. Global wind energy companies expect future growth in the industry to be mainly driven by the United States, China and Spain, said the DEWI report. "Those polled in the study believed that the United States, China and Spain should retain their high growth potential in future but that countries such as Greece and South Korea are also gaining in importance," said the study. Germany was replaced by the United States as the world's Number 1 market for newly installed wind turbines which its wind energy federation BWE said last month was because of falling subsidies. In terms of new capacity additions, Germany ranked behind the US, Spain, China and India last year. But due to its head start and earlier growth, Germany is still the world's largest wind power market overall. Its producers and suppliers account for more than a third of the industry's global turnover. As the focus of production shifts geographically, more than half of the installed wind turbine capacity in 2012 will already be located outside of Europe compared with a rate of 39% outside Europe last year.