Global wind installations up 22% in 2010, China leads growth

Global wind power capacity increased by 22.5% in 2010 with 35.8 GW of new installations built, taking the total worldwide to 194.5 GW at end-2010 from 158.7 GW a year earlier, according to figures published Wednesday by the Global Wind Energy Council.

A total of $65 billion (Eur47.3 billion) was invested in the sector worldwide, the GWEC said.

But the overall growth rate was lower than the previous year for the first time in 20 years. In 2009, 38.6 GW was installed.

GWEC noted that more than half of the new capacity built in 2010 came outside the traditional wind markets of Europe and North America, with China and other Asian nations witnessing a boom.

China alone added 16.5 GW, almost have the total new capacity.

"This puts China firmly on a path to reach 200 GW of installed wind power by 2020. At the same time, China has become the world's largest producer of wind energy equipment," said Li Junfeng, Secretary General of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association.

He said China had now overtaken the US as the world's leading wind energy producer
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