Wind power to generate 20% of global electricity by 2030
The Global Wind Energy Council has released its biennial Global Wind Energy Outlook, according to which wind power could generate 20 per cent of global electricity by 2030
The Global Wind Energy Council has released its biennial Global Wind Energy Outlook, according to which wind power could generate 20 per cent of global electricity by 2030.
The report estimates wind power capacity to reach 2,110 GW globally and generate up to 20 per cent of the world’s electricity, attracting around 200 billion euros of annual investment.
Last year, global wind installations were worth 433 GW.
An increase in wind capacity would also create up to 2.4 million new jobs and help reduce carbon emission by 3.3 billion tonnes a year.
The Secretary General of the Council, Steve Sawyer, said in a statement: "Now that the Paris Agreement is coming into force, countries need to get serious about what they committed to last December. Meeting the Paris targets means a completely decarbonised electricity supply well before 2050, and wind power will play the major role in getting us there."
Africa, Latin America and Asia have seen growing renewables markets during the last few years and are promising areas for sustainability and an energetic transition.
Sawyer said: "Wind power is the most competitive option for adding new capacity to the grid in a growing number of markets... but if the Paris agreement targets are to be reached, that means closing fossil fuel fired power plants and replacing them with wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass. That will be the hard part, and governments will have to get serious about it if they are to live up to the commitments to which they have now bound themselves."
Lead analyst of the report, Sven Teske, research principal for the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney, said: "Decarbonising the global energy system includes the transport sector as a major emitter of carbon. The market for electric mobility, both in regard to electric vehicles as well as public transport, will continue to grow significantly and with this electricity demand for the transport sector. Wind power is in a pole position to supply this future power demand making the wind industry one of the key industries of the energy sector.”
