Global wind power capacity is expected to increase by 160% over the next five years with China leading the low-carbon power push, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said on Apr 12.
In its annual outlook on the wind power sector, GWEC said it expected installed wind capacity to reach 409 gigawatts (gw) by 2014, up from 158.5 gw at the end of 2010.
"Even in the face of a global recession and financial crisis, wind energy continues to be the technology of choice in many countries around the world," GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer said.
Some of GWEC's previous forecasts for the development of the global wind energy market have underestimated the actual growth of the industry and have had to be adjusted upwards.
The GWEC expects the United States and China to continue as the main drivers of wind capacity growth, although the financial crisis and legislative uncertainty in Canada is expected to limit growth of the North American market until 2012.
"In China, growth is set to continue at a breathtaking pace," the GWEC report says.
China accounted for one third of all the wind power capacity added globally in 2009, taking China's total capacity up to 25.9 gw and overtaking Germany as the country with the most wind power, the GWEC report says, adding that China's annual capacity additions are expected to be over 20 gw by 2014.
The industry group expects Asia to overtake Europe as the leading region in terms of installed wind capacity by the end of 2014, when Europe's installed capacity is expected to have risen to 136.5 gw, compared to Asia's 148.8 gw.
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