Energy

Aeolian production worldwide

In the last years we have assisted at an exponential growth of aeolic power installed and production of electricity generated by wind. In 2010 a power of 39 GW has been installed worldwide, a 20% increase if compared to previous year, reaching a total power rising up to 198 GW: biggest contributors were China (44.7 GW), USA (40.2 GW), Germany (27.2 GW), Spain (20.7 GW), India (13.2 GW), with Europe as a whole covering 42% of world aeolic power. The 86.5??% of installed power in the world is located in just ten countries: China, USA, Germany, Spain, India, Italy, France, Britain, Canada and Denmark. In 2010 the major efforts to boost wind power installed are from China, that, with an increase of 18.9% over 2009, reachs 27% of installed power in the world, and from the USA, that, with an increase of 5.1%, reach 24%. Traditionally, since the beginning of aeolic era, the countries that invested and produced more have been Germany, Spain and the USA. In the last 5 years a new, important "outsider" has broken through, China, which in 2010 becomes the first countries with an installed capacity of 44.7% (18.9% more than previous year), becoming then the major emerging country in this field. Italy has always been on the cutting edge and in 2010 Italy occupies a honourable 6th place after China, USA, Germany, Spain, India. In 2010 worldwide aeolic energy production covered 2-2.5% of the total amount of electricity produced; nevertheless, in some countries it is an important part of national electricity balance: as an example, at the end of 2010, in Denmark, 24% of power consumed was produced by aeolic sources, in Portugal 14.8%, in Spain 14.4%, in Ireland 10.1% and in Germany 9.3 %, while while China, though at the top of the list, covers only 1% of electricity consumption with wind power.
(Source: Renewables 2011 - Global Status Report e EWEA – Wind in power: 2010 European Statistics)