45 GigaWatts of wind installed in 2012

[kristopher]

Global Wind Power Capacity Increased 19 Percent in 2012
By James Montgomery, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com
April 17, 2013

New Hampshire, USA -- Wind power surged to a new record in 2012 with nearly 45 gigawatts (GW) of new installations, a 10 percent increase from 2011, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)'s Annual Market Update. Global installed capacity increased roughly 19 percent to 282.6 GW, which is slightly below the 22 percent average annual growth rate over the last 10 years.

...




Thanks to the expiring production tax credit (PTC), the US connected over 13.1 GW of new wind power capacity in 2012, exceeding 50 GW of total wind power capacity, nearly a 30 percent increase from 2011. Canada added 935 MW of new wind capacity, a slowdown from 1.2 GW in 2011, but still its second-best year, while 2013 is expected to see a surge to 1.5 GW of new capacity. Mexico more than doubled its installed capacity in 2012 to exceed 1.3 GW.

China added nearly 13 GW of new wind capacity in 2012, a significant drop over the past three years. Nonetheless, China's electricity generated by wind energy surpassed 100 million MWh, making up 2 percent of the country's total electricity output (up from 1.5 percent in 2011). China's total cumulative installed wind power capacity is now more than 75 GW, nearly tripling over the past three years.

India is another key market for wind, but also saw a bit of a slowdown in 2012. New wind energy installations exceeded 2.3 GW, with 18.4 GW in cumulative total. Wind power accounted for about 69 percent of total renewable energy capacity of 26.9 GW in India. Japan, meanwhile, continues its slow transition to a diversified energy mix with more renewable energy options. The country added 88 MW of new installations in 2012 for a cumulative capacity of 2.6 GW, translating to roughly 0.5 percent of total power supply...

[kristopher]

2. Then get off the internet.

Renewable technologies are the most low-impact way to get our power. If you wish to turn primitive, you have a strange way of expressing your desire.

[kristopher]

4. People spreading rightwing talking points about renewables means a lot to me.

And that is what you are doing. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Audubon Society promotes the use of wind power.

[FBaggins]

5. Do they really expect it to be 2017 before N.America/Europe return to 2012 levels?

That's more pessimistic than I would expect.

Is there a link with more data/forecast

[kristopher]

6. I'd look to the GWEC's website

I'm sure their work is posted or available for download.

I'm not terribly surprised myself, but I ceaselessly hope the political situation both here and in Europe brings some real progressives to power so that we can step on the FF industry once and for all.