The new installed wind capacity is 6.3% higher than 2014’s installed capacity. Total wind capacity in Europe now stands at 142GW and covers 11.4% of Europe’s electricity needs.
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Despite cratering fossil fuel prices, investments in renewable energy reached a record US$ 329 billion in 2015. There are now 16 European countries with more than 1,000 MW installed and 9 countries with more than 5,000 MW.
Powered by an astonishing 30,500 MW of new installations in China, the global wind power industry installed 63,013 MW in 2015, representing annual market growth of 22%. “Wind energy is a mature industry”, said Giles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of the European Wind Energy Association”.
“Increasing the state’s RPS to 50 percent by 2040 would be a key and big step in making this vision a reality and would be critical hallmark in Oregon’s clean energy leadership”, says Tom Darin, western state policy director for AWEA. India chalked up a respectable 2,623MW, pushing past Spain into fourth place in terms of cumulative capacity, after China, the United States and Germany. Previous data has shown that 24pc of the island’s entire electricity usage was met by indigenous wind power during 2015. “We see a lot of potential in the American market”.
Installations in developing and emerging economies outpaced those in the OECD by almost 60% a year ago, continuing and accelerating the trend that has been developing since 2010.
The RES Group has developed and/or built more than 10 gigawatts of renewable-energy capacity worldwide and has an asset-management portfolio exceeding 1 gigawatt.
The Middle East and Africa was led by South Africa’s 483 MW market in 2015, pushing the country’s total installations over the 1 GW mark.
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$20 billions of investment is anticipated from fiscal 2016-17 for harnessing the potential of solar and wind energy in India from leading financial agencies world over at a consistent volume and quantum for next three years to enable it add solar and wind capacities to an estimated level of between 10,000 to 12,000 mw each year by 2019, according to CMD, IREDA, Mr. K S Popli. In addition, the approach curbs carbon emission as it reduces the need for back up thermal power plants. As costs come down, onshore wind is becoming more competitive with traditional forms of power generation, enabling developers and policymakers to glimpse a subsidy-free future.
