By Renewable Energy Focus staff
Figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA) and the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), show that China has most definitely overtaken the US as the largest wind power market globally.
China’s wind power market has doubled every year between 2005 and 2009, and Chinese wind turbine manufactures are increasing their share in the global wind market, GWEC says.
With the updated Chinese figures, the global wind power market grew 38.3 GW, or 24%, to a total of 197 GW.
In March, GWEC updated its 2010 Global Wind Report saying the average annual growth rate for the global wind power market could be 18.2% over the next five years, leading to a doubling of global installed wind power to 450 GW by 2015. Annual market additions were expected to reach 60.5 GW, compared to 35.8 GW in 2010.
“China has become the single largest driver for global wind power development in 2010, every second wind turbine that was added anywhere in the world was installed in China,” says GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer.
Qin Haiyan, Secretary General of CWEA, adds: “The installed capacity of 44.7 GW includes wind turbines which has been grid connected and are delivering electricity, even if they have not yet completed the commissioning and acceptance procedure, which can take several months. This explains the much reported ‘gap’ between installation and grid connection which is often reported from China. In other markets, it is common practice to include all turbines as soon as they are grid connected and producing electricity.”
According to figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, China invested US$20 billion in wind in 2009, and Chinese investment in the third quarter of 2010 accounted for half of global investment in wind power.
4 of 10 top manufacturers are Chinese
CREIA President Li Junfeng, says Chinese wind turbine manufacturers are benefitting from the growth: “The growth of wind power in Chinas has also spurred a boom in domestic manufacturing, and four of the top 10 global wind turbine manufacturers are now Chinese, with Sinovel and Goldwind ranking second and fourth respectively. Domestic manufacturers now supply more than 50% of the equipment used in Chinese wind power projects.”
The Chinese Government’s Development Planning of New Energy Industry, predicts 200 GW installed wind capacity by 2020, generating 440 TWh annually and creating revenues of over RMB250bn (~€28bn/US$38bn). The latest five year plan published this March, aims for an additional 90 GW of wind by 2015.