GWEC has released the latest wind energy industry report showing the installations of wind power projects and forecast for 2022 and beyond.
The global wind industry added almost 94 GW of capacity globally in 2021, trailing behind the 2020’s record growth by only 1.8 percent.
You may download Global wind energy report 2022
Nearly 94 GW of new capacity is the second-best year ever for the wind industry
Europe, Latin America, and Africa & the Middle East had record years for new installations
The best year ever for offshore wind, with huge numbers in China and growing floating offshore deployment in the UK
Auctioned capacity was up 153 percent with 88 GW awarded globally
CAGR for wind installations for the next five years is 6.6 percent, which equates to 557 GW forecast installations from 2022-2026
Despite two years of record numbers, this simply isn’t enough to stay on course for 1.5C and net zero by 2050.
The current global situation means energy policy is in flux, but new policy initiatives must rapidly increase the trajectory for wind installations for both net zero aims and energy security.
Total onshore wind installations in 2021 was 18 percent lower than the previous year. The dip in wind installations was driven primarily by the slow-down of onshore wind growth in the world’s two largest wind power markets, China and the US.
21.1 GW of offshore wind capacity was commissioned last year, three times more than in 2020 — making 2021 the best year in offshore wind history, bringing its market share in global new installations to 22.5 percent in 2021.
China made up 80 percent of offshore wind capacity added worldwide in 2021, bringing its cumulative offshore wind installations to 27.7 GW. This is an astounding level of growth, as it took three decades for Europe to bring its total offshore wind capacity to a similar level.
Total global wind power capacity is now up to 837 GW, helping the world avoid over 1.2 billion tons of CO2 annually – equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of South America.
Wind auction activities bounced back in 2021 with more than 88 GW of wind capacity awarded globally, 153 percent higher than in 2020.
GWEC, in its market outlook, said 557 GW of new capacity is expected to be added in the next five years under current policies. That is more than 110 GW of new installations each year until 2026.
However, this growth needs to quadruple by the end of the decade if the world is to stay on-course for a 1.5C pathway and net zero by 2050.
Global capacity increased by 93.6 GW to bring total cumulative wind power capacity to 837 GW, which is year-over-year growth of 12 percent. While the world’s two biggest markets, China and the US, installed less new onshore wind capacity last year – 30.7 GW and 12.7 GW respectively – other regions enjoyed record years. Europe, Latin America and Africa & the Middle East, increased new onshore installations by 19 percent, 27 percent and 120 percent, respectively.
The offshore wind market enjoyed its best-ever year in 2021, with 21.1 GW commissioned. That represents three times more than the previous year. China’s mammoth year of offshore installations accounted for 80 percent of that growth, helping it pass the UK as the world’s largest offshore wind market in cumulative installations.
“The wind industry continues to step up and deliver, but scaling up growth to the level required to reach Net Zero and achieve energy security will require a new, more proactive approach to policy making around the world… The last 12 months should serve as a huge wake-up call that we need to move decisively forward and switch to 21st century energy systems based on renewable,” Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, said in a news statement.