North American Windpower:

by NAW Staff on Wednesday 21 November 2007

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Global wind plants are set to more than triple by 2015, with cumulative installed bases expected to rise from approximately 91 GW by the end of 2007 to over 290 GW by the end of 2015, according to recently released global wind energy country forecasts from Emerging Energy Research (EER), an advisory and consulting firm that analyzes renewable energy markets on a global basis.

Annual MW added for global wind power is expected to increase more than 50%, from approximately 17.5 GW in 2007 to over 30 GW in 2015, according to EER's forecasts.

"The U.S. and China will be neck-and-neck for global annual MW-added leadership in the coming decade," says Joshua Magee, senior analyst for EER. "U.S. federal renewable energy policy support and proactive transmission expansion projects will need to stay on pace for the country to remain ahead of China's voracious renewables growth appetite by 2015."

With demand for wind power escalating across all global regions, virtually every major wind turbine supplier is increasing its production capacity. New fabrication and assembly facilities are planned in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. Numerous component suppliers are investing in key wind turbine supply chain pinch points such as gearboxes, blades, bearings, towers and castings, according to EER.

"Long-term global energy demand drivers continue to favor wind build-out," says Magee. "Steady global electricity demand increases show no sign of easing, and global emissions reduction initiatives are likely to become more prevalent beyond the current 2012 Kyoto period and will diversify into the U.S. and Asia. Fossil fuel price volatility is likely to continue to stimulate long-term demand, with wind serving as a quickly deployable hedge against natural gas and petroleum power generation."

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