World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

February 28, 2005 – Vol.9 No.49

WORLD WIND WATCH.

The numbers are in. Globally wind power capacity increased by 7976 megawatts in 2004 - a 20-percent increase - to a total of 47,317 megawatts.

Germany now has an installed wind capacity of 16,629 megawatts, Spain 8263 MW, the U.S. 6740 MW, Denmark 6740 MW, India a tidy 3000 MW.

Italy, The Netherlands, Japan, and the U.K. are hovering around the 1000 MW mark. All will grow beyond that in 2005.

Europe continued to be the world leader in new wind installations in 2004 with 72.4 percent of all (5774 MW). Asia had an installed share of 15.9 percent (1269 MW) , North America 6.4 percent (512 MW), the Pacific Region 4.1 percent (325 MW), Latin America and the Caribbean 0.6 percent (49 megawatts) and Africa 0.6 percent (47 megawatts)

The Global Wind Energy Council kept the tally. Visit them at http://www.gwec.net/ .

At the end of 2004 Canada had only 444 megawatts of installed wind capacity. The Canadian Wind Energy Association thinks the nation could have 10,000 megawatts installed by 2010 - five short years from now.

They could be right. GE Energy has announced the final contracts for 990 megawatts of wind turbine nameplate capacity to be delivered between 2006 and 2012 for projects that will deliver wind generated electricity to the Hydro-Quebec power grid.

In two separate contracts the company will supply 660 turbines for projects to be built in the province of Quebec. Cartier Wind Energy will get up to 740 megawatts in wind turbines. Northland Power Inc./ Northland Power Income Fund will get 250 megawatts capacity. All of the turbines will be GE’s most popular model, the 1.5 megawatt.

All of the power will be sold to Hydro-Quebec. Visit GE Energy (wind) at http://www.gewind.com/ , CANWEA at http://www.canwea.ca/ .