This report gives an overview over the world market for electricity generation from wind energy and reviews the year 2006.

Wind energy continued its dynamic growth worldwide in the year 2006. 15.216 MW were added in the past year summing up to a global installed capacity of 74,246 MW by the end of December 2006. The added capacity equals a growth rate of 26 %, after 24 % in 2005. The currently installed wind power capacity generates more than 1 % of the global electricity consumption and employs more than 300,000 people. Based on the accelerated development. WWEA has increased its prediction for 2010 and expects now 160,000 MW to be installed by the end of 2010.
 
 
Five countries added more than 1,000 MW: the United States of America (2,454 MW), Germany (2,194 MW), India (1,840 MW) and Spain (1,587 MW) were able to secure their leading market positions and China (1,333 MW) joined the group of the now top five markets and is now number five in terms of added capacity, showing a market growth of 105 %. Four countries added more than 500 MW and showed excellent growth rates: France (+ 810 MW, + 107 %), Canada (+ 776 MW, + 114 %), Portugal (+ 694 MW, + 68 % ) and the United Kingdom (+ 610 MW, +45 %). Another very dynamic market in 2006. Brazil, faced its long expected take off and added 208 MW, which equals a sevenfold increase of installed capacity within one year.

 
Europe
Europe remains by far the leading continent in terms of installed capacity with 48.6 GW. However, the share of the world's total installed capacity decreased from 73 % in 2004 to 65.5 % at the end of 2006. Germany (20.6 GW) and Spain (11.6 GW) were the leading markets in Europe as of December2006, Denmark remains Nr. 3, but added only 8 MW In 2006. Many medium-sized markets bigger than 100 MW emerged in Europe in the past years. The highest growth rates (bigger than 50 %) amongst these medium European markets could be seen in Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland. Some new markets smaller than 100 MW like Turkey, Czech Republic, Hungary Lithuania and Bulgaria showed very high growth rates in 2006.

 
America
The American continent represented 13.6 GW or 18.3 % of the global wind capacity. In North America, both the US and Canadian market showed excellent growth in 2006 (USA: +2,454 MW,+27 %; Canada: +776 MW. + 113 %). The US was the Number 1 country in the world in terms of added capacity in 2006 and according to predictions will install approx. 3,000 M W in 2007.
 
Brazil represents for the first time a Latin American country amongst the Top 20 wind markets with 237 MW installed capacity. Brazil faced its long expected take off and added 208 MW in 2006, Mexico followed, adding 83 MW in 2006.

 
Asia
Asia represented 10.7 GW or 14.4 % of the global wind energy market in 2006 (in 2003, the share was only 8.2 %). India once again is the leading wind energy market on the Asian continent with additional capacity of 1,840 MW and a growth rate of 42 %, followed by China and Japan. China with a total installed capacity of 2,599 MW entered the top six world markets in 2006 and showed the highest growth rate in Asia (+ 1,333 MW, + 105.3 %). Japan installed 354 MW in 2006, which led to a total installed capacity of 1,394 MW. A promising market is also South Korea (+48 %, total installed capacity: 176 MW) Another interesting market in the coming years e. g. will be Pakistan where the government has approved an ambitious wind energy programme.
 

Australia/Pacific
Australia added 238 MW equaling a growth rate of 41
in 2006 (total installed capacity: 817 MW by the end of 2006). In New Zealand, only 2.6 MW were installed in 2006, but many projects, like in Australia, are in different phases of project development.

 
Africa
In Africa, 336.5 MW were totally installed. Egypt was able to keep its position as number one wind country on the African continent with current total installations of 230 MW, followed by Morocco (64 MW). Only little progress was made in the rest of the African countries. However, new installations are expected in the near future in South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Ethiopia and Tunisia.
 
Considering the huge need for a sustainable energy supply in many African countries, development strategies including stand-alone applications have to be developed and implemented as soon as possible in order to harvest the enormous wind potentials for the benefit of the African people of which a minor share has access to a public grid.

Source:
World Wind Energy Association 2008