World’s Wind Power Capacity Increases Nearly 20% in Record Growth

“The report credited growth in offshore wind, which made up one-tenth of new wind farm installations for the first time. As for onshore wind power, the report noted that the U.S. and China were the world’s largest markets for wind power development. The two resource intensive countries while producing an outsized amount of greenhouse gasses also make up nearly two-thirds of the world’s growth in wind power, according to The Guardian. India, Spain and the UK rounded out the top five.”

World’s Wind Power Capacity Increases Nearly 20% in Record Growth

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Renewable Energy

The growing demand for renewable energy led to record setting growth in wind power capacity as technology has made harnessing wind power increasingly efficient and more wind farms have been completed and have joined the electrical grid, according to The Telegraph.

The Global Wind Energy Council reported that in 2019 wind power capacity grew by 60.4 gigawats, which was 19 percent more than 2018.

The report credited growth in offshore wind, which made up one-tenth of new wind farm installations for the first time. As for onshore wind power, the report noted that the U.S. and China were the world’s largest markets for wind power development. The two resource intensive countries while producing an outsized amount of greenhouse gasses also make up nearly two-thirds of the world’s growth in wind power, according to The Guardian. India, Spain and the UK rounded out the top five.

The Global Wind Energy Council had expected this year to set more records with a forecast of 20 percent growth in the year ahead, but it cautioned that it may not come to fruition due to the novel coronavirus global pandemic. The importance of maintaining physical distance around the world could slow the construction of energy projects as part of a slowdown in infrastructure development.

However, the council urged governments around the world to use an investment in renewable energy to spur economic recovery, according to The Guardian.

Ben Backwell, CEO at the Global Wind Energy Council, said wind energy was continuing to enjoy consistent growth as a result of having “unequivocally established itself as a cost-competitive energy source worldwide,” as Business Green reported.