High level remains stable despite lower growth figures compared to the previous year
- 50 gigawatts growth in wind capacity worldwide
- They account for 50 percent of global installations – China and America dominate the market
- Prices at the lowest level of 0.02 US dollars due to worldwide tenders
The boom will come
The potential is clear: at 0.02 US dollars, as in Mexico’s tenders, for example, the price is far below that for the construction of any other energy power plant – now such prices just need to fully develop the hoped-for traction. Nevertheless, despite the Paris climate agreement and rock-bottom prices due to global tenders, the boom is still missing. Measured against the super year 2015, the curve in global wind power construction is falling. According to the Global Wind Energy Council GWEC, the global expansion of wind power in 2017 is 52.6 GW.
Despite the slight downward trend, a positive light can be cast on the cumulative figures. It should be noted that China alone accounted for half of the 2015 boom market with 30 gigawatts. In 2017, the People’s Republic accounted for 19.5 gigawatts. Slowly but surely, the hoped-for shift in the markets is taking place. While Asia has fallen back to below 25 gigawatts, Europe has seen a gain from 14 to 17 gigawatts. 2017 was indeed the most successful year yet for Europe’s wind sector. Germany leads the field with 6.6 GW. It is followed by the UK with 4.3 GW and France with 1.7 GW. Small markets such as Finland, Ireland, Belgium and Croatia also achieved their best results to date. Unfortunately, North America fell from 11 GW to 7 GW. However, even President Donald Trump’s anti-climate protection policies cannot slow down the movement, as large corporations such as Google, Apple, Nike, Facebook, Wal-Mart and Microsoft have concluded so-called PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) for the long-term supply of wind and solar power. Canada is also likely to play a greater role in the market again in the future – thanks to the positive influence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Meanwhile, other countries in the top ten are also showing positive trends, such as Brazil with 2 GW, France and Turkey with 766 MW or Mexico (478 MW) and Belgium (467 MW).
Concentrated global market
To stabilise the wind market, it would definitely be desirable for the market to be able to rely on more countries. In the meantime, China and the USA account for half of the worldwide installations, together with Germany, India and Spain it is two thirds. A trend that has continued in 2017. Nevertheless, the smaller markets are also slowly catching up. In Latin America, Brazil is the strongest market with 2 GW, Uruguay is aiming for 100 per cent renewables and Argentina will make its first appearance on the market in 2018 with installation figures. There has also been plenty of activity around wind power in Africa, according to GWEC, although so far only South Africa can boast addition figures (621 MW). In Kenya and Morocco, however, large projects will be connected to the grid this year, according to GWEC boss Steve Sawyer.
Positive balance
Contrary to the slight downward trend in growth, the wind market remains at a high level and is stabilising. Despite the general willingness to get involved in the energy turnaround, financial bottlenecks and economic crises in some states repeatedly hinder resounding progress. Individual political moods of individual states or disruptions in subsidy policies also slow down the boom. Overall, the wind business has become more difficult due to the price slide – profit margins have shrunk along the entire value chain. Although this is having an aggravating effect, the industry is well positioned with its low prices. This will certainly make it one of the big winners in the global energy market in the long term.
To the article: https://www.erneuerbareenergien.de/weltmarkt-fuer-windkraft-haengt-an-einer-handvoll-staaten/150/434/106665/