Wind Power Can Produce One Third of World's Electricity by 2050

Adelaide, Australia — Over a third of the world’s electricity – including that required by industry – can realistically be supplied by wind energy by the middle of the century, according to a new report released by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) (1) and Greenpeace. The ‘Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006’ report, provides an industry blueprint revealing how wind power could supply 34 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050. It also concludes that if wind turbine capacity were implemented on this scale, it would prevent 113 billion tons of global warming gases from entering the atmosphere by 2050.

Notes to Editor

Notes to Editors:

(1) Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is the global forum for the wind energy sector, uniting the wind industry and its representative associations. The member associations of GWEC represent more than 1,500 companies, organizations and institutions in more than fifty countries; all of the world’s major wind turbine manufacturers, and ninety-nine percent of the world’s 59,000 MW of installed wind power capacity. For more information on GWEC, go to: www.gwec.net

(2) The results show that wind energy can make a major contribution towards satisfying the global need for clean, renewable electricity within the next 30 years and that its penetration in the supply system can be substantially increased if substantive energy efficiency measures are implemented at the same time. Under the reference wind power scenario, wind energy would supply 5 % of the world’s electricity by 2030 and 6.6 percent by 2050. Under the moderate scenario, wind energy’s contribution would range from 15.6 percent in 2030 to 17.7 percent by 2050. Under the advanced scenario, wind energy’s contribution to world electricity demand would range from 29.1 percent in 2030 up to 34.2 percent by 2050. All three scenarios assume that an increasing proportion of new wind power capacity is installed in growing markets such as South America, China, the Pacific and South Asia.

(3) In 2005, the global wind energy sector registered another record year, with a total of 11,531 MW of new capacity installed. This represented a 40.5% increase on an annual basis and a 24% cumulative growth. Wind power is now established as an energy source in over 50 countries around the world. Those with the highest totals in 2005 were Germany (18,428 MW), Spain (10,027 MW), the USA (9,149 MW), India (4,430 MW) and Denmark (3,122 MW). A number of other countries, including Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, China, Japan and Portugal, have reached the 1,000 MW mark.

(4) Employment: The number of jobs created by the wind energy market will range from 480,000 in 2030 under the reference scenario to 1.1 million under the moderate scenario and to 2.1 million under the advanced scenario. Carbon dioxide savings: Savings will range from an annual 535 million tons CO2 in 2030 under the reference scenario to 1,661 million tons under the moderate scenario to 3,100 million tons under the advanced scenario.

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Global Wind Energy Outlook 2006 is available in English, French and Spanish and can be downloaded from: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/globalwindenergyoutlook www.gwec.net Photos: http://usaphoto.greenpeace.org/Climate/CS092006/