- Category: Industry News
Industry statistics released for the EU wind energy market show that cumulative wind power capacity increased by 22% to 34,205MW at the end of 2004, up from 28,567MW at the end of 2003. In total, 5,703MW of wind power capacity were installed last year, representing a wind turbine manufacturing turnover of some € 5.7 billion. The top five European wind energy markets in 2004 were Spain (2,065MW), Germany (2,037MW), UK (240MW), Portugal (224MW) and Italy (221MW). In 2003, 5,477MW were installed in Europe, and the wind power market increased by 4% in 2004, to 5,703MW. The future growth prospects of European wind power are reliant on creating sustained markets in other European countries on a scale similar to those in Germany and Spain, with a cumulative wind energy capacity of 16,629MW and 8,263MW respectively at the end 2004. The 34,205MW installed in the EU by the end of 2004 will, in an average wind year, produce some 73TW/h of electricity.
- Category: Industry News
On the day the Kyoto Protocol came into force the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) launched a new ‘Wind Tracker’ showing that public support for the expansion of wind energy has reached an all-time high. The tracker shows that a growing majority of the British public (79%) think that wind farms are necessary to help meet current and future energy needs in the UK – a rise of 5% in just 5 months. The BWEA has also released new data showing that 2005 will be a record-breaking one for the UK wind industry as it powers towards meeting the bulk of the government’s 10% renewables target by 2010. This year the industry will build 18 new wind power schemes, representing a 66% increase in current generation, or enough extra clean green electricity to meet the needs of a third of a million homes.