‘Global wind energy sector installed record 63GW of capacity in 2019’

A new report by GWEC notes that more than 22,800 new wind turbines were installed last year

The global wind energy sector installed a record 63GW of new capacity in 2019.

This is according to a new report by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) that noted a total of 22,893 wind turbines were installed last year.

According to findings, global wind turbine manufacturer Vestas retained its position as the biggest supplier for 2019, contributing 18% of the total wind turbines installed.

This was followed by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy that doubled the number of offshore wind installations since the previous year, adding 15.7% to the total installations in 2019.

New additions to offshore wind capacity in 2019 totalled a record 6.1GW.

Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC, said: “The wind sector is a leader in innovation and technology and it can clearly be seen in the impressive increases in turbine sizes. In 2019, the average turbine size surpassed 2,750kW and in some markets like Denmark and the UK, turbines passed the 5,000kW milestone thanks to offshore wind development.

“This is a 72% increase for average turbine size in the past decade alone and is a testament to the industry’s leadership in technology innovation and maturity of the global sector”.

While the year 2019 set an industry record, GWEC expects disruption in supply chain and delays in projects this year due to the Covid-19 crisis.

GWEC predicts that stakeholders could withdraw financial guidance in light of the pandemic casting uncertainty over new projects.

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