September 29, 2010—The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) recently published IEA Wind Energy Annual Report 2009, now available for free download through the U.S. Department of Energy, says wind power electrical generation capacity grew more than 32 percent worldwide in 2009.
The report presents the latest information on domestic and international wind generation capacity, national incentive programs, progress toward national objectives, benefits to national economies, research and development results, and issues affecting turbines, market growth, and costs of projects.
The Executive Summary synthesizes the information presented from IEA’s member countries, cooperative research tasks, the European Commission, and the European Wind Energy Association.
The IEA Wind member countries, located in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Pacific Region, contain 70 percent of worldwide wind-generating capacity. In the United States 40 percent of new electricity generation came from wind last year, while in Europe, wind power installations accounted for 39 percent of new capacity, says the report.
IEA Wind member countries added more than 20 gigawatts (GW) in 2009, for a total of more than 111 GW of wind generating capacity, according to the report. Five countries added more than a gigawatt of net capacity: the United States (10 GW), Spain (2.5 GW), Germany (1.9 GW), Italy (1.1 GW), and the United Kingdom (1 GW).
DOE’s Wind and Water Power Program Web site offers more information on how DOE works to accelerate the development and deployment of wind energy technology.
