by jbs091809e — September 21, 2009—The recently published IEA Wind Energy Annual Report 2008, distributed in the United States by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is now available for free download. This report provides the latest information on wind industries in 20 International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind member countries.
The information includes generation capacity, progress toward national objectives, benefits to national economies, issues affecting growth, costs of projects and turbines, national incentive programs, and research and development results. The Executive Summary synthesizes the information presented in separate chapters by the member countries, the European Commission, and the European Wind Energy Association, explains the DOE.
The IEA Wind member countries—located in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Pacific Region—reportedly provide 75 percent of worldwide wind-generating capacity. These countries share information and research efforts to increase the contribution of wind energy to their electrical generation mix.
The countries added more than 17,000 megawatts (MW) in 2008 for a total of close to 92,000 MW of wind-generating capacity, says IEA. More than half of the member countries added at least 200 MW of new capacity each, and four countries added more than 1,000 MW: the U.S. (8,558 MW), Germany (1,665 MW), Spain (1,609 MW), and Italy (1,010 MW).
According to the report, the electrical production from wind in IEA Wind countries met 2.3 percent of the total electrical demand, up from 1.64 percent in 2007. This electrical output was sufficient to cover the total electricity consumption of a country such as Australia, explains the DOE. Many of the countries report planning for much more capacity for 2009 and beyond.
