Aeolian energy inside the renewable energies framework: a significant contributionThe EU Directive (2001/77/CE) forecasts that by 2010 21% of Internal Gross Consumption of electricity (IGC) must come from renewable sources. 
In 2008 just 13% was produced this way, but the concept has been reinforced by newer directives, March 2007 and January 2008, establishing that 20% of total EU energy production has to come from renewable sources by 2020, indicating some common guidelines to reach this goal as well.
In 2006 sustainable sources have produced about 18% of the total amount of energy consumed in the world, with hydroelectric and solid biofuels having the biggest share (thanks to poorest countries' contribution, where use of solid fuels for heating, cooking and illumination purposes is widespread). In 2008 production of aeolic energy worldwide has covered about 1,3% of the total amount of energy consumed: it may look a very modest share but, if we consider that, compared to 2007, the field has grown by 28.8%, it is easy to see how production of aeolic energy is expanding fast, playing a fundamental role in the delicate and difficult passage to an ever smaller reliance on fossil fuels.
The aeolic field is indeed the one, amongst all renewable sources, which is recording the biggest annual increases, with a growth higher than 24% a year between 1990 and 2003, and an even larger increase (28%) between 2006 and 2008, while solar energy's increase is floating around 6% yearly and energy produced by liquid biofuels and urban wastes is around 8% and other fields, such as hydroelectric and geothermal, remain essentially stable or slightly increasing.
Aeolian energy production worldwide: new outsiders and "historic" producersIn the last years we have assisted at an exponential growth of aeolic power installed and production of electricity generated by wind. In 2007 a power of 20,000 MW has been installed worldwide, a 27% increase if compared to previous year, thanks to investment made by USA, Spain and China, reaching a total power rising up to 93,823 GW: biggest contributors were Germany (22.3 GW), USA (16.8 GW), Spain (15.1 GW), India (7.8 GW) and China (5.9 GW) with Europe as a whole covering 66% of world aeolic power.
In 2008 total aeolic power worldwide is rising at 120,800 MW, an increase of 26,968 MW, 28.8% more than previous year, with the biggest share in Europe (55% of total production), North America (23%) and Asia (20%). The European descent from 66% to 55% is not caused by a reduction of Europe's production in 2008 but by the massive increase of Chinese and US production.
In 2008 there are about 70 countries producing electricity from winds.
Nevertheless there are enormous differences considering productivity and powerfulness of the installed plants: the top ten producers, indeed, cover 86% of the total worldwide and more than 60% is assured by the top 4: USA (2.8%), Germany (19.8%), Spain (13.9%) and China (10.1%).
Traditionally, since the beginning of aeolic era, the countries that invested and produced more have been Germany, Spain and the USA: Germany has always been on top of the list, but in 2008 has been overtaken by USA. In the last 4 years a new, important "outsider" has broken through, China, which in 2008, fourth year in a row, has doubled its installed power, becoming then the major emerging country in this field: by having a glance at the graphic showing the aeolian power installed during 2008, it is easy to notice how the biggest efforts come from the USA, with 34% of the total share, and from China with 27%, detaching all the other countries, where 2007-2008 production increases are stuck around 10%. It is worth mentioning, however, India's entrance in the ranking, together with China, close to "traditional" producers.
Italy has always been on the cutting edge and in 2008 Italy occupies a honourable 8th place after USA, Germany, Spain, China and India both in the production and power annual rankings.
In 2008 worldwide aeolic energy production covered 1,3% 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 2007, in Denmark, 21% of power consumed was produced by aeolic sources, in Germany 12 %, Spain and Portugal 9%, Ireland 6%.
Aeolic energy production in Europe: the usual 5 During 2008 in Europe 142,000000 kWh of electricity have been produced by aeolic means, 4.2 % of the total consumption (was 2% in 2002): with about 1952 power plants, 35,000000 European houses have been powered by wind energy.
The field is monitored, in Europe, by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), a non-profit NGO established in 1982, counting up to 15,000 members among which the main firms in aeolic plants making, and the most influential research institutes: it is the biggest sustainable resources association in the world.
In the last 11 years aeolic power installed in Europe has grown at a yearly rate of 25%, passing from 4,753 MW in 1997 to 56,535 in 2007, and the turbine market has expanded at 19% a year, with Spain, Germany, France and Italy as sector leaders.
Despite this, there are still many disparities among different countries: Germany, Spain and Denmark sustain by themselves 70% of the entire European production, but the first two produce from 5 to 6 times more than Denmark (Fig. 8). A German Länder, Schleswig-Holstein, covers about 36% of its demand, while Navarra, in Spain, even 70%!
Italy in 2007 was at 5th place among the biggest European producers with its 4 TWh, after Germany (39 TWh), Spain (29 TWh), Denmark (7,2 TWh) and United Kingdom (5,3 TWh): with this countries, Italy has always been on the cutting edge of aeolic field in Europe and worldwide, both for production and installation of power plants and research and production of turbines and windmills.
Aeolic energy production in Italy: among world's firstIn 2008 Italy was at 6th place of biggest aeolian energy producers' ranking, a place it occupied in 2002 as well. A placement that deserves respect, if we think at country's smallness if compared to "giants" like USA, China or India.
Moreover, conditions for aeolian production in Italy aren't the most
favourable, given the peculiar shape of the country with this long and stretched territory, presence of high mountains such as the Alps which offer a barrier to winds; however there are many ideal places locally, especially on the Adriatic side of the Apennines and on the islands, and there are big potentials for off shore plants.
In Italy many associations care about management, research and diffusion of aeolic energy, as the "Associazione Nazionale Energia del Vento", ANEV (National Association Energy of the Wind, NAEW), which has subscribed agreements with Greenpeace and Legambiente for a sustainable and environmentally respectful development, or the "Associazione Produttori Energia da Fonti Rinnovabili", APER (Association of Producers of Energy from Renewable Sources, APERS) and an important cooperation is on stage with the "Gestore Servizi Elettrici", GSE (Electric Services Manager, ESM), to integrate aeolic-generated electricity with the national grid.
In 2007, the Italian energy made with renewable sources represented the 15,7% of the total electric energy produced in our country, and the 13,7% of the totally consumed energy (the so-called CIL). The Kyoto Protocol forecasts than, for our country, in 2010 this relation will increase to 22% (Fig. 9). During the last years, here in Italy we can see a relative reduction of hydroelectric energy production, above all for what concerns the large plants, equal to - 11,3% in 2007, referring to 2006. The production of geothermal energy is roughly stationary (+ 0,8%), while the biomasses (+ 3,1) and solar sector (+ 11,4) are in a constant, quick expansion. Anyway, it is the aeolian sector that recorded the highest improvements (+ 35,8), so we entrusted to the wind the important task to help us to achieve this fundamental goal.
The aeolian energy production actually started in 1994, just with pilot plants or experimental ones, in the national energy balance. From this year, it persevered to give significant increases. In 1994, the aeolian energy (with a production of 6 GWh) represented the 0,02 % of the total renewable source energy amount, while in 2001, with a production of 1.179 GWh, this amount increased to the 2,14% and, in 2006, to the 5,6%, producing 2.971 GWh. In 2007 we saw the real "quality leap": the aeolian energy produced, 4.034 GWh, representing the 8% of our renewable sources energy, and the 1,2% of the national electric balance, based on the produced and imported energy.
In the end of 2007, Italy owns 203 installed aeolian plants. Anyway, because of the morphological features of our land and the consequent wind rate, their distribution is not uniform for every region. The highest concentration of aeolian plants is in Puglia (47 farms), followed by Campania (39), Sicily (31), Sardinia (22), Abruzzo (16), Molise (12), Basilicata (10), Liguria (6), Calabria (5), Lazio (4), Toscana e Veneto (3), Emilia Romagna e Trentino (2), Umbria (1), while Piemonte, Valle d’Aosta, Lombardia, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Marche have no aeolian plants.
About the efficient gross power, in 2007 it was of 2.914,2 MW, so
distributed: Puglia (639,9 MW, equal to the 23,6 % of the national aeolian power), Sicily (630,9 MW, the 23,2 % of the national aeolian power), Campania (458,5 MW, the 16,9%), Sardinia (383,3 MW, the 14,1 %), Basilicata (155,5 MW, the 5,7%), Abruzzo (154,8 MW, the 5,6 %), Calabria (138,6 MW, the 5,1%), Molise (98.6 MW, the 3,6 %), Toscana (28,1 MW, the 1 %), Lazio and Liguria (respectively 9 e 8,9 MW, the 0,3 %).
In 2007, the produced energy was equal to 4.034 GWh, coming from: Puglia (1.77,3 GWh, equals to 26,7 % of the total amount), Sicily (854,7 GWh, the 21,2 % of the total amount), Campania (777,6 GWh, the19,3 %), Sardinia (590,2 GWh, the 14,6 %), Basilicata (262 GWh, the 6,5 %), Abruzzo (236,5 GWh, the 5,9 %), Molise (145,1 GWh, the 3,6 %), Toscana (37,1 GWh, the 0,9 %), Calabria and Liguria (respectively 17 and 16,8 GWh, equal to the 0,4 % of the total amount).
Therefore, we can easily see how the regions of Southern and Central Italy are the most productive ones, thanks to the propitious wind conditions along the Apennine Crest and on the islands' relieves, while the Alps negatively influence the wind exploitation in the regions placed under this mountain chain.
Data and information sources:
GSE - Gestore Servizi Elettrici: Statistiche sulle fonti rinnovabili in Italia – Year 2007
EWEA – The European Wind Energy Association: Wind Energy: the Facts – Executive Summary - March 2009
EWEA –The European Wind Energy Association: The Economics of Wind Energy– March 2009
EWEA –The European Wind Energy Association: Wind Energy Statistics – March 2009
GWEC - Global Wind Energy Council: Tables and Statistics 2008
By Paola Tognini
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