With 41,000MW of wind power generation added in 2011, the global total reached 238,000MW by Dec. 31, 2011, according to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). That’s an increase of 21%, while the annual global market increased in size by just 6%.
As shown in the graphic above, China led the world in new installations with an end-of-2011 capacity of 62,000MW. But, according to the GWEC, “Today, about 75 countries worldwide have commercial wind power installations, with 22 of them already passing the 1 GW level.”
The United States reached an installed capacity of just over 6,800MW last year. That’s a 31% increase from 2010. According to Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), “Our 2011 installations alone provide enough electricity to power almost two million American homes.”
With the more than 6,800MW of newly installed capacity during last year in 30 U.S. states, the total nameplate wind generation in the United States reached 46,919MW by the end of 2011, according to AWEA.
Above: Slide from the AWEA’s year-end 2011 wind power report.
Incidentally, 3,444MW, or roughly half of the year’s completed installations, happened during the fourth quarter of last year—more than the other three quarters combined.
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