Feb

Top 10 Countries creating Renewable Energy with Wind Power

By Tracy

Which countries are the leaders using wind power as renewable energy to provide electricity? Well, thanks to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a list of the world’s wind power renewable energy leaders wasn’t difficult to formulate. It’s important to recognize that the world’s cumulative installed capacity for wind power has grown from a paltry 6,100 Megawatts in 1996 to over 120,000 Megawatts in 2008. These numbers are on a constant incline according to the trends of the past 12 years and the 2009 report yet to be released will inevitably demonstrate significant growth.

Here are the top 10 global leaders using wind and creating renewable energy:

California's Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm

Country Capacity in Megawatts (MW) | percentage of World Total

USA 25,170 MW | 20.8%
Germany 23,903 MW | 19.8%
Spain 16,754 MW |13.9%
China 12,210 MW | 10.1%
India 9,645 MW | 8.0%
Italy 3,736 MW | 3.1%
France 3,404 MW | 2.8%
UK 3,241 MW | 2.7%
Denmark 3,180 MW | 2.6%
Portugal 2,862 MW | 2.4%

Rest of world 16,693 MW | 13.8%

Source: Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) 2008 Global Wind Report (published in 2009)

According to the report from the GWEC, the long-term outlook is promising:

“Over the past three or four years, two markets have continuously outperformed our most optimistic expectations – the US and China. For the next year or two, developments in the US will be hampered by a lack of financing and the overall economic downturn. At the same time, growth in China is set to continue at a breathtaking rate, and this will drive a substantial increase in global wind energy installations in the coming years. GWEC predicts that in 2013, five years from now, global wind generating capacity will stand at 332 Gigawatts (GW), up from 120 GW at the end of 2008. During 2013, 56.3 GW of new capacity will be added to the global total, more than double the annual market in 2008.”

In 2008, the USA passed Germany who was the leader in 2007 with an additional 8,358 Megawatts. The Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm in Kern County, California has proposed that by 2030, wind power will provide 20% of the USA’s electricity. I look forward to seeing how this list of global wind power renewable energy leaders changes when the GWEC publishes its report for 2009 later in 2010. Sustainable energy from renewable resources is the future if we want a chance at combating climate change.

Checkout the youtube video below for the urban-friendly, bird-friendly and eco-friendly Windspire. This wind turbine is an affordable, attractive, and silent vertical axis wind power appliance from Mariah Power which could help you live off the grid with renewable energy to power your own home or business.

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Tags: California, Climate Change, global wind energy, Global Wind Energy Council, Global Wind Report, GWEC, Mariah Power, planet forward, renewable energy, Renewable Energy Resources, Renewable Energy Sources, renewable resources, sustainable energy, Tehachapi, Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, wind energy, wind generating capacity, wind power, wind power capacity, wind turbines, Windspire

Categories : Eco Friendly, Go Green, Green Living, Green Videos

7 Comments

Dusan
February 19th, 2010 at 10:32 am

I think, that people must do something about our Planet. We all need to do our part so we can leave a safe world for our children.
In essence, what we have to do is minimize all activities that produce
greenhouse gas emissions.
Where possible, find alternative sources of energy that do not generate CO2 emissions such as solar,water, wind, and many more…

Be Green, Save the Planet

Tracy
February 19th, 2010 at 2:21 pm

You’re absolutely right Dusan. We all need to do whatever we can to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and help ensure a sustainable future for our children.