Wind Power Leaps Forward In 2003

By Agence France-Presse Power capacity generated by the wind surged by more than a quarter last year, according to industry figures released March 10. Wind generators installed around the world by the end of 2003 had the capacity to produce 39,294 megawatts, an increase of 8,133 MW, or 26%, over 2002, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Germany installed 2,645 MW, bringing its total to 14,609 MW, or 40% of the global total. Second was the United States, which added 1,687 MW, for a total of 6,374 MW, followed by Spain, up 1,377 MW to 6,202 MW, and Denmark, whose increase of 1,377 MW brought its wind-generated tally to 3,110 MW. "A number of countries, including the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and the UK, now have several hundred megawatts installed and are nearing the 1,000-MW mark," a news release by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) said. Almost all of the installed capacity is in Europe and the United States, which together account for 88% of the worldwide total. The only other significant player is India, which accounts for 5% of the total. The total global generating capacity of more than 39,000 megawatts is enough to power 9 million average American homes or 19 million average European households, or 47 million people, according to the associations. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2004