Energy resources and infrastructure

The Global Wind Report 2022 released by GWEC captures the resilience of the global wind energy industry, which experienced its second-largest year ever in 2021, down just 1.8% from a record 2020. The 93.6 GW of new installations in 2021 brought the total global wind power capacity to 837 GW, showing a 12% growth for the year.

Of the 93.6 GW of new installations in 2021 worldwide, the onshore wind market added 72.5 GW. Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East saw record growth, with new onshore installations up 19%, 27% and 120%, respectively. Despite the success in these regions, due to slowing growth in China (-39%) and the U.S. (-25%), the world's two largest markets, the 2021 onshore wind power result is 18% lower than the previous year. The decline in the onshore wind sector was balanced by the offshore market, which had its best year ever with 21.1 GW commissioned in 2021. This was three times more than the previous year, bringing the world's total offshore installations to 57 GW, representing 7% of total installations.



China is the world leader in installed wind power capacity

China has been in the lead for several years now and in 2021 it accounted for 80% of the growth in offshore installations. Vietnam has consistently performed well, where 779 MW of intertidal (nearshore) projects have been commissioned, making it the third largest market for offshore installations in 2021. Europe is also showing success in the offshore market thanks to the U.K., which, though it has lost its title as the world's largest offshore market to China, is leading the way in floating offshore wind, with 57 MW installed last year. Experts single out Turkey, Azerbaijan, Australia and Sri Lanka as countries with the highest offshore wind energy potential.

Although the wind industry has continued its global expansion in recent years, the world as a whole is lagging behind in meeting climate change goals. According to the GWEC report, global wind power installations must quadruple by 2030 to meet the goal of "net zero" and energy security. The report highlights a number of goals and objectives for sustainable and unprecedented growth in wind energy through 2050. Among these, experts highlight the need for greater cooperation among countries and communities to reform the energy market to improve security of supply, support sustainable pricing for renewable energy production, and develop more flexible and sustainable energy systems.